Wise Words From The BHSEC-M Seniors of 2025

Mabel Winter ’28 

“Bard–the knocking–will never leave me” - Alana Mercedes ‘25

As summer approaches and school starts to wind down, Bard’s Y2s prepare for the next big step in their lives – leaving high school for college, the working world, and more. As I considered this change, which will be so drastically different from my current freshman life, I started to wonder how the seniors around me are feeling about the transition. Alana Mercedes, sitting in the Bard library, described graduation as “bittersweet.” Mercedes, one of many BHSEC-M seniors, is in the midst of this huge transition between high school and college. 

The majority of the seniors I talked to for this interview noted that, while they were excited, they were also worried about making new friends and leaving the concrete jungle of NYC. It’s “such an abundant, cultural place” said Arlo Varon, commenting on his urge to take advantage of the city before he leaves for a more rural area for college. Similarly, Bard senior Lola Uehlinger considered the perspective she’s gained from attending highschool in the city, saying, “going to high school in the city has been really special, just all the things around to do, all the activities, all the, like, unique experiences…[are things] that I’ll value…like, going to college in a small town is definitely going to be weird.” The opportunity to broaden their horizon is important to many of the seniors I spoke with. “I’m excited to meet … people from all over the world, and [to travel], and hopefully at some point [do] some study abroad where I meet people with different cultures and different perspectives…Even though New York City is a very unique place and you see a lot of culture, there’s also a lot that you don’t see, [so] I’m looking forward to the opportunity to kind of expose myself to new things,” said Julian Zimmermann.

When asked what he most valued about his high school years, Varon wisely stated, “I don’t put much stock and value in [being] certain ages. I think this is definitely an age of a lot of change and figuring things out, and I think I will like going into college being a little bit more concrete in my own identity, and, whatever, not necessarily going in with a plan but going in with less of a chaotic idea.” He also said of the Bard experience, “I think I really valued just being able to engage with a bunch of people who were just a little bit older than me and, like, I loved and looked up to the seniors when I was a freshman.” In terms of learning, Zimmermann recalled gratefully, “you take one or two classes here with the same teacher and suddenly build a relationship with them to an extent where, you know, they can write you a letter [of recommendation], or maybe…you kind of become friends with them and do more than just take classes with them. Yeah, I think that’s an amazing opportunity here at Bard.” 

Having had almost four years of experience at BHSEC, the Y2s I spoke with had plenty of advice for those in other grades. “For sure take advantage of what the school has to offer,…it is here to be used, you know, the courses are here to be taken. If you want, if you're interested in two courses, take two courses” said Julian Zimmermann, adding, “senior year you can take independent studies, which are amazing because if you are interested in something that you know isn’t already a course and you share [that interest with] a professor,...you can take that course with them, and that lets you accelerate your education while also kind of narrowing [in] on what you're interested in.” 

“You have to balance college applications and high school really well, so, like, [do] as much of your college work over the summer as you can,” Lola Uehlinger recommended, “but then also make sure that you hang out with your friends and do social stuff, because otherwise it can get depressing.” This, I feel, is something we can all keep in mind, even outside the college process. Doubling down on the same idea, Arlo Varon said seriously, “do your work if you can. Do your work. I talked to a lot of the teachers and they are kind of getting depressed at how little reading people are doing, and that just feels sad for them. But it’s also, like, it’s okay to procrastinate, it’s okay to be a little lazy, but I think my advice is generally just to have a good time while still learning something.”

Interviewing some of Bard’s soon-to-be-graduates, I was glad to hear that most of their feelings are positive. I hope that, in reading this, people will feel more at ease with the college process, because there is excitement in the aftermath. As Varon put it, “Throw…some parties. Have…some wild fun times,” because isn’t that what high school is all about?