What would seniors do?

In this episode, we sit down with Mount Pisgah seniors to answer real, anonymous questions submitted by underclassmen about college, social life, and school. Through honest advice and personal experiences, they share what they’ve learned along the way and what they wish they knew earlier. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

You're listening to Beyond the Bell, a student-produced podcast from Mount Piscah Christian School. I'm Lila Balmuch, and this podcast is a space where students, teachers, and the whole community can connect. Here, we believe every person has a story to tell, and we want to bring these stories to life. In this episode, we're sitting down with two Mount Pisca seniors to answer one big question: what would seniors do? Through an anonymous survey, underclassmen submitted real questions about everything from college decisions and academics to friendships and social life, and the seniors are here to answer your burning questions. Because if we're being honest, seniors are in a really interesting spot. They've already gone through most of high school, made mistakes, figured things out, and now they're on the other side of it looking back. So together, the seniors will share honest advice, personal experiences, and lessons they've learned along the way. I love listening to the practical, honest, and helpful answers the seniors provided, and I hope this episode offers insight and a clearer perspective on the high school experience. Hey everyone, welcome back to Beyond the Bell. I'm so excited for this week's episode, and I just wanted to have my two guests introduce themselves.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Hi, I'm JP Pickering. I'm a senior at Mount Pisca, and I've been here for six years.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Hi, I'm Ellie. I'm also senior here, and I've been here since fifth grade. So we're gonna have an awesome episode today because we are answering underclassmen's burning questions for seniors about basically all things school, social life, workload balance, SAT, ACT, college. Um, and they had lots of good questions that I think you guys are gonna be able to answer really well. So just as a little icebreaker, what is a memory you guys have when you think back to your freshman year? Like what's something that sticks out, a memory?

SPEAKER_02 1:56

Uh the first memory that comes to mind for me is being on the football team and being on scout team. Um, it was just so much fun being there with all my friends and just having fun and going to the games, and even though we didn't play much, we just still had a blast the whole season.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Yeah, um, for me, what sticks out is we had an eighth grade retreat at Camp Lighthouse, and it was so much fun just getting to meet all the new faces and just really like start to grow that community from freshman year.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Yes, I looking back to freshman year, it feels like so long ago, but also it's insane that we only have a month left of senior year. So getting into the content of this episode, um, I was looking at these questions and overwhelmingly a lot of them were about like things related to SAT, ACT, college, taking AP classes. And so I thought we could start by talking about. Do you remember when you were like a freshman or a sophomore, what AP classes did you take? Did you wish you had challenged yourself more? What are ones that stick out to you?

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Um, well, the very first AP that I ever took was AP psych. And one thing that I wish I could change, like going back, is how I studied for the exam. I at that time I didn't know really how to study for an AP exam, but I didn't realize that there were so many resources at the school and online that I could use, like study guides, YouTube videos, and just reaching out to my teachers. And I wish I had known that uh back then.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Yeah, I kind of got started. I as soon as they offered it, so I think it was like what one history is. Yeah, AP World, AP World sophomore year. Sophomore year. So they mostly they're like histories and Englishes that were AP that were offered to us. Um and it was definitely a learning curve, like just how much content you get and having to, like JP said, like keep it throughout the entire year for the big exam at the end. So it was definitely a learning curve, and just like I had to really make sure I advocated for myself, like going to tutorial and making sure I could um stay up to date on the work.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Yeah, with APs, it's like it's such a like a big shock when you like take your first one because you don't really realize like just flashcards or just like reviewing a study guide really isn't going to give you like everything you need. Like it's so much more in-depth, so you really have to like kind of alter like your study methods to fit like the expectations of you in that class.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Yeah, one of the one of the big things for me was I didn't realize that stuff that you learn on the very first day and on the very last day are also gonna be on the exam. So when you're studying, it's not just what you learn in the past couple months, it's the whole year.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yeah. It's like super, it's just kind of all-encompassing. Like you kind of have to keep up with everything and keep studying it, like even when you're on like a completely different unit to try to like remember what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

So, did you wish you had taken more like honors or AP classes looking back or um I do wish I took a couple more APs, but I'm also satisfied with the amount that I took. I think I really played into my strengths when I chose my APs, like I wasn't gonna take any AP classes that were setting me up for failure. But there were a couple that I was hesitant at hesitant about and ended up not taking that looking back. I wish I had taken because I I know that I could have handled the workload.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Yeah, I was very overwhelmed like at first, I think. Um, I'm glad I took them looking back for sure. But I'm definitely not a history person, like I'd much rather be in a science class, and kind of what was offered for AP was history. So I'm glad I did it, pushed me out of my comfort zone.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

Um, yeah, I just I don't know, I wish there were more options, but I think something I wish I would have done was like I mean I was very happy with like like both of you said I was happy with like the amount I took, and I feel like I challenged myself, but I feel like I should have focused more on like APs that were related to my major because no one really talks about like I mean because you don't necessarily go into high school like knowing exactly what you want to major in in college, but like the APs like show what APs you take show what college is, like what you're interested in, what your strong suits are. So I wish I would have like thought about that more because I think that could have helped me like getting into certain schools, but yeah, so that's really great. Um, next thing I want to talk about is the SAT and the ACT, which is a scary word for some of us, but um you guys both did very well and it helped you get into really good schools, and you were also studying for that and taking that on top of like AP classes and everything else that was happening in junior year. So tell me a little bit about how you prepared for your ACT or SAT.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Okay, well, so for my standardized testing, what I did is I took both and then found which one played to my strengths better. And for me, that was the ACT. So for the ACT, what I did is I took it one time just kind of face with minimal studying, and then I saw what my strengths and my weaknesses were, and then after that uh I got a tutor, and we were able to look at my past test scores and look at where needed more help than other places, and that was really helpful just to kind of have the background and then figuring out which one's better, and then taking it, and then figuring out what you need more help on in different places, and that worked really, really well for me.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

It's great. Yeah, I kind of approached it the same way as JP. I um took both and then I kind of decided I ended up taking the SAT. Um what's really nice is that they super score at most schools, they'll take your super score. So um I kind of worked on getting like my English up first, and then once I got that to kind of like where I wanted my midline to be, I worked on my math, which is something I like needed more help in. Um, and I did also work with like a class and a tutor to boost my score on that.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Yeah, I think one thing I wish I would have done differently because I kind of did that, like I did what JP did kind of did the baseline, and I also tried like both different tests, and like I took it like 12 times altogether. It was a lot, but I think one thing I wish I'd done differently was just like starting sooner. Because no one really tells you until you're like in the middle of your junior year, like, oh you really should be taking this. But I wish I would have started like at least doing a baseline with no studying like in the summer before my junior year, because I think that would have like just set me up for success. Like I was able to get it together, but I was taking it like I was taking like two tests a month for like basically all of my junior year, so it ended up being like a lot. So I wish I would space it out more.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

Absolutely. I I ended up being able to get my score really high, but I do wish that I started earlier. I started probably middle of junior year, and that kind of bled into the first semester of senior year of me still taking it. Um so pretty much immediately after sophomore year, that's when you should really start looking into taking it, and maybe s the summer after sophomore year, take the baseline one so you know where to study and which one you like more and you're better at.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Yeah, I would agree. I would think you would you should take advantage of that summer because once junior year really hits, you start talking about like where you want to go to school and like maintaining your just maintaining your grade is like one thing and then adding SAT on top of it, it just got really overwhelming and I definitely think I think a lot of people would agree that like having it done by by kind of like this by going into senior year because it gets really busy applying to colleges and SAT and grades, so definitely having that done before then.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Definitely. You don't want to make the same mistake that I did and be the last person in your grade taking the ACT and everyone's like Oh, we're we're doing nothing this weekend, and you're like, oh well, I have to go take the ACT.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Yeah, I had to take the ACT like after Sharp Top, and that was not that was not ideal. But Ellie, you were talking about like preparing for college apps, which kind of leads me into my next little part. Um people were wondering like when should I start preparing for college applications? When should I start searching for colleges? And I mean, I think it's kind of like your junior year, like when you start taking the ACT and SATs, when you should start kind of thinking about like where you could see yourself. But I think you guys kind of both ended up choosing schools that you didn't originally think you like were going to be going to. So tell me a little bit about how you like planned out your college apps and how you decided what schools you were going to apply to.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

Um, for my college applications, I had a pretty small list of places that I wanted to go, and I knew where I wanted to go. Um and that was not hard, but it was stressful because it was such a small list, and you it was like every application really counted. But a big tip that I can give is that if you can apply early action, apply early action. It's not gonna do harm. It's gonna it's gonna honestly make things a lot easier for you. And it also like it gives you a lot of opportunities for scholarships and things like that, and then the earlier you know, the earlier you can put your deposit down, sign up for housing, get first picks on things, and that's just that's another big thing is getting in early.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Yeah, yeah, I a hundred percent agree. If your college offers early action, definitely do it. Um, it's such a relief to know where you're going, majority second semester, and also just having a lot of time to decide when to get schools back. Um, but yeah, like Ladiball said, I had no idea where I wanted to go, where I wanted to be, um, even like really what I wanted to major in. So I think just being open during the process is really good. Um, it was it's really fun if you let it. Um, we went on a lot of college tours, got to go to a lot of places, which was really cool and fun, getting to spend time with like family on that. Um definitely be open, definitely start your list junior year. I would say kind of bordering on with SAT. It kind of helps to know where your schools are so that you're not just like shooting for a random number. You kind of want to get certain scores on things that align with your schools just so that you kind of have a plan.

SPEAKER_02 12:31

Alright, another really big tip that I I can give is take advantage of the school counselors. That's something that's provided for you, and it is the biggest help in the whole process. And any like minor question I would have, I would immediately go to them. You can ask Miss Nardella. I was in her office like every day when I was doing college applications, just oh, this and that, this and that, and they never had an issue with it. They love to help you, they love to help me, and they were a huge help through the whole process.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yeah. So on top of just managing the whole process and talking about junior year and like everything underclassmen want to know about just like getting ready for their future, I feel like you guys have very good like work, uh not work life because we're not working, but like good school balance. Like you guys balance school, sports, extracurriculars, taking hard classes, having good scores in the ACT very well, like you guys are both very well-rounded people. So what are your what's some of your advice about balancing just everything, especially like thinking back to when you were a junior? Like, how did you not get overwhelmed with everything that life was throwing at you?

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Um, honestly, this work-life balance that you're talking about is like kind of something I still have to like be very conscious about. I just think there's so many fun things to do, especially since getting in high school. Um, but I think it's really important to, you know, be with your friends, and then also like obviously you you have to know when to lock in, and like I think it's also so important not to like this whole college process is so like out in the open and everyone's going through it, but everybody's at a different kind of level or like aiming for different things in life, and so I would just say like it's really important not to compare yourself because I think when at least what was happening to me is if I did, I would kind of like shut down and I wouldn't want to do want to hang out with my friends or want to work really hard, like it just kind of shut me down. So I think just focusing on yourself, focusing on like your friends, and that'll just kind of automatically help you in both your social life and your work life.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Um my work-life balance, I'm not gonna lie, was not easy at times, like junior year playing three sports, going to the ACT SAT, and it's one of the hardest years of high school. Um, it's not easy, but it was good to know that I wasn't the only person going through it. Uh at every step of the way, there was people right next to me who I knew were going through the exact same thing, and it was awesome to know that teachers were also there to help me. And so I think a major part of my balance that I was able to create was pulling on the resources that other people were providing and finding help in ways that I hadn't found help before, whether that be your friends that are in the same class or in the same sports, or teachers going and talking to them after before class and telling them the situation, and every time that that would happen to me, and I'd have something come up where I'd have to leave out of town to go for sports, or something like that. My teachers were always understanding, and I think just reaching out and asking for help from friends or teachers is a great way to kind of help balance all of the work and still being able to have fun your junior year and hang out with your friends and do the stuff that you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yeah, I'm definitely not a person who like loves to ask like other people for help. Like I'm very like independent and I like to think I can get things done on on or all on my own. But when you're a junior and you have so much on your plate, it's okay to like reach out for help and ask for a little bit of grace sometimes because like especially when you're playing sports and you're traveling and your weekends are booked, like me and Ellie running cross-country every weekend or Friday nights playing football or overnight wrestling meets, like there's just a lot going on. So sometimes you just have to like reach out and ask other people for help because there also is just no other way to balance everything, especially because you want high school to be like fun, a fun time you remember with like fun social stuff too. And there's only the only way to get that is to be able to balance everything and to like stay stable and to not let yourself get overwhelmed by everything. Okay, so we've talked about everything that people want to know about balancing school, about taking the SAT and the ACT, and how to be as prepared as they can for college acceptances, but I think that the one of the biggest things is you can only find success in those areas of like academic life if you also dive into your social life and really find a way to escape through that and just a way to make your high school experience more than just focusing on academics. So, you guys are both two of the most social people I know, and you guys obviously are very involved in the school community, and you've done so much while you've been at Pisca. So, the first thing I kind of want to talk about is just like a little bit of friendship advice. So, people go through high school probably like sometimes a little, I mean, I think friendships change all the time throughout high school, but I think it's really important to just know how to like find your people and to be social and to find people that kind of can be with you and support you on your journey through high school. So, what is your best piece of friendship advice to an underclassman?

SPEAKER_02 18:09

Um, to an underclassman coming into high school who's trying to find their group, um, I would say sign up for the things that the school provides that are what you like. For me, that was sports. I love playing sports my whole life, so obviously I played sports freshman year, and I met three of my best friends to this day playing football, and it was freshman year, and all of us were on um, we were all on Scout Team, we were all on special teams, and we didn't play much, but I we built friendships and bonds that year that I think can never be broken. I still talk to these guys almost every single day, um, and that was one of the biggest just friendship creators that I've ever had. And then on top of that, with wrestling and lacrosse, I met other guys that I wouldn't have met outside of that. Um, and I became really good friends with them too, and it was just crazy because I'm I was hanging out with so many different people that I would have never met if I didn't do the stuff that I did. And I think that that doesn't just have to be sports for people, it can be anything. The school has so many things that they offer that if you just do what you like to do, you will meet like-minded people and make great friends.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Yeah, I totally agree. Um, I tried a lot of new things at Pisca. I really took advantage of kind of what it had to offer, whether it was clubs, sports, and I'm really glad that I did. I found some things that I love to do that surprised me, and you know, I didn't like some things that I thought I would, so I think it was really good, like personally, but I also met so many people that like I wouldn't have normally, whether from different grades or just people that I wouldn't normally run into in classes or anything. Um, and so definitely take advantage of that. And I would also just say go up to people, it can be really intro or intimidating, but definitely go up to someone, introduce yourself if you haven't met them.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Yeah, I think definitely the two biggest ways like I found friendships in high school was by playing sports. Like, I didn't think I would ever run cross-country, but I found like my best leadership opportunities and like my best friends through running cross-country, and so I definitely like relate to JP in that way, but I also relate to what Ellie said because like just taking advantage of new opportunities and really trying everything that interests you is a really great way to meet people, but I think obviously finding like close friendships for you is important. But one thing we can talk about with senior year is that I mean, I think we've all noticed like your grade does come together so much, and you really become very close with people you didn't weren't close with for all of high school, and so I kind of want to talk about Sharp Top because that for me I feel like was the first time I noticed like I recognized that our grade was going to really start coming together, and I recognized like how this year was gonna go. So, what do you guys or do you have anything to say about that?

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Yeah, Sharp Top was probably the most fun week of my life this year. Um, from starting the week off by just being there and hanging out, like the amount of stuff that they have offered for the seniors is just so much fun, it's so much freedom, and you just you you come closer to groups of people that you haven't really been hanging out with, and that's just the amazing part about it, whether it be volleyball or swimming or stuff like that. Um but for me, the part that I grew the closest to people that I had been close with in the past was serving. The second half of the week. So during the second half of the week, the middle schoolers come to Sharp Top, and the seniors are given the opportunity to help run and lead Sharp Top. Um, so this year I was a senior leader, and you can either be like a senior leader or work crew. And by this point in the week, you're like so tired because you've been going and hanging out with your friends all week.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Exhausted.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

You're like exhausted. And then you have to go to bed late because you have to stay up to all the middle schoolers, go to bed, and then you have to walk back to your cabin, go to sleep, and then you have to wake up super early in the morning to get to breakfast before the middle schoolers do, because then you have to sit at the table with all the middle schoolers. And I think that like by the last two days, everyone was just so tired and so ready to go home. But that just brought us all so much closer because it was like, wow, we are miserable, but we're all together. Uh just the f all the funny stories that we have from Sharp Top, like we still talk about them all the time. And I wouldn't trade that week for the world.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Especially senior year, I just feel like there's so much hype around it. You get to go for a long time, you get to work on skits, hopefully you win your messy games. Um, and definitely, if you have the opportunity, stay for the entire week. Your grade will get so trauma bonded from the exhausted, but so much fun like times that you'll have. I was work crew, had so much fun in the back, lots of hard work, you will be exhausted. You'll probably come back with some kind of sickness, but it is so much fun, and it really just starts the year off getting to know people. I would say, even if you're a freshman, that's honestly the most crucial one because you get to stay with your advisory, you get to figure out who you know you really vibe with in your class and hang out just outside of school. So definitely take advantage of it. Don't be afraid to try new things even there and talk to new people.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

I love that you brought up advisory because like me and my advisory have gotten so close, like some of my best um memories of being with my advisory had been like us like talking late night, like in the cabin, like, and we've just gotten like so much closer from when we first like met each other freshman year until now. Like it's crazy that we've been a group for four whole years, now we've been able to experience Sharp Top and just our lives together. So, do you guys have any sh advisory memories you want to share? Any favorite things you guys have done, advisory that helped you guys get closer together?

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Yeah, absolutely. I I remember freshman year when I first met my advisory. Everyone was kind of like timid, no one really knew each other, everyone's still figuring things out, and then Sharp Top came, and you know, everyone's just thrown in a cabin together for for like half a week, and I just I remember so vividly staying up so late with my advisory, just like dying laughing all night and having the best time, and we all grew so close, and then after that week we were like inseparable, like it was so much fun. I started to look forward to meeting with my advisory because I knew I'd be hanging out with my friends and we could laugh and share stories, and just throughout the years, every year at Sharp Top, we just became more and more and more close, and I would consider everyone in my advisory one of my best friends.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Um, I would definitely say open up. Like, I wish we had all like kind of opened up sooner because senior year we've definitely gotten so close, and like Wednesday mornings are my favorite times, honestly. Um, and it's just it's honestly like a second fresh air because it's just a time where you can catch up with your friends and like just check on people and it gives you a strong community so that you know if you're going through something, you know you'll always have someone. Even my advisor, I got so lucky with Miss Morris. She's the best, she's always there for us if we need it, and she's just somebody that we can rely on, which I'm just so lucky to have.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

And I think just talking about this, like we're talking so highly of like our grade all coming together, but I really do if I could like say anything about like social life to underclass, and it'd be like this isn't just have to be like a senior year thing. Like, if we could go back and like realize like how close we'd all become and how great it was, like I wish we would have done this like years and years ago.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Yeah, you know what I mean? Absolutely. Like, I I feel like I've met so many people this year and made so many new friends that if I could go back, I'd just tell myself, like, be more open to new people. Like talk to the people who you may not always talk to, make friends with them because they're all really cool. Like, I like pretty much everyone in our grade. I I I feel like I could walk through the halls and have a conversation with everyone in our grade. Like we have I've become, especially this year, just so close with our grade and so connected that it's been amazing.

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Yeah, I totally agree. I think it's so funny the way that every senior class just kind of like flips almost. I mean, our grade has been so good, I feel like all four of my years. I feel like I've just had met so many amazing people um in our grade and been able to gel with them, which I think is such a testament to our grade and the people in it. But definitely senior year. I don't know what it is about it if we all have like this mind shift of like we're not gonna see everybody, but I just think that's even more of a reason just to start sooner and build those relationships, even with teachers, and just build it from the start, and you know, just get stronger every year, and it's been so much fun getting to go and support our friends in sporting events and hang out with them and go out to lunch.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

This has been such a great conversation, and I love that we were able to cover everything from SAT and ACT all the way to social stuff and Sharp Top and just helping these underclassmen just have the best and most amazing and well-rounded four years at Mount Pisca because I know we are all gonna miss it so much, and I just want everyone to be able to take advantage of everything amazing about being in high school for four years because it definitely flies by as we are in our final month. So I just want to say thank you guys for being on the podcast. You guys did an amazing job, and thank you for sharing all of your advice to the underclassmen.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

Yay, thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to hear these seniors share their advice and reflect on their experiences so honestly. It was really meaningful to see how much they've learned, not just academically, but through friendships, challenges, and the everyday moments that shape high school. Conversations like this are a reminder that no one has everything figured out, but there's so much value in learning from the people who have gone before you. I hope this episode encourages you to ask questions, take advantage of the time you have, and grow through every season you're in. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow us on Spotify Podcasts. And if you have an idea for a future episode, send us a message on Instagram at NPCS Liberty Bell. Thanks for listening to Beyond the Bell, and we'll see you soon.