Annie Lane, syndicated columnist

Dear Annie: I’m a 17-year-old girl, and I will be turning 18 next month.

I’m a senior in high school, and my grades are excellent! I’ve applied to all of my colleges, and now I’m waiting for the decisions, which I will find out very soon. I live in Arizona, and the schools are in New York, D.C. and North Carolina (with my first choice being in New York).

My problem is this: senioritis. Before I was a senior, I heard that senioritis is inevitable, and I also heard that it can result in a drop in grades, plus procrastination.

I don’t have those problems, my problem is that everything and everyone is irritating the heck out of me!

Let me give you some examples. The bus: we have a new bus driver and she’s not reliable. One day, she didn’t come and me and my neighbors had to wait 30 minutes for a substitute bus to come, plus, I had a math test first period!

That ruined my mood for the test, but luckily, I still got a 90% on the test.

Also, the other students: I have been having negative feelings toward my peers, and it resulted in me getting into a small argument with two of them in my ceramics class. I’m tired of everything! Is this normal? Please help! — Girl Suffering from Senioritis

Dear Senioritis: Sounds like you’re ready for green pastures — but don’t be so quick to write off your high school.

The pressure is easing off now that your college applications are in, so you can take this final semester to appreciate all the little things you do enjoy about senior year.

And if you just can’t help but dwell on the negative, recognize that learning how to cope with irritations and frustrations will be a necessary skill in college and beyond.

The fresh start you want is right around the corner, but how you end this chapter matters, too.

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