Stop asking seniors about college

Mischa Trainor Editor-in-Chief As an underclassman, I looked forward to senior year. It was presented as the light at the end of the tunnel after the notorious junior year. It was supposed to be a time full of fun senior traditions and bonding with my grade in the alcove. I, however, have felt the pressure of the college admissions process at the center of almost every conversation. Whether it’s talking about college visits, sharing the status of applications during a free period or trying to guess where everyone is applying, college talk is everywhere. While it’s natural to want to rely on friends for comfort or to share excitement about our future, it sometimes gets to be too much. College applications and meetings already take up so much of our time and many of us are consumed with anxiety about whether we’ll get into our top choices, so why do we let this stressful topic seep into even more of our days? College talk can also become competitive. It is no secret that there are overlaps in the schools where seniors are applying, and oftentimes talking about who is applying where results in people trying to deem who is “smarter” or has better statistics, like GPA or ACT.

The competition can get so toxic that students might even try to verbally dissuade others from applying to schools because they want a greater chance of being accepted. This practice is incredibly harmful and could be avoided if people stopped constantly discussing where they were applying.

The reality is that we will not get to read everyone’s applications and that college decisions are based on so much more than just grades and test scores, so we are not capable of knowing who really deserves to get in. Rather than worrying about comparing ourselves to others, we should be rooting for our peers to get into their top choices and be happy for them. This is not just a problem with students. I am not alone when I say I am tired of being asked where I am applying at every Shabbat dinner or having to share my college plan with every single adult I ever talk to. While it’s hard to avoid talking about such a big part of our lives right now, I urge people to take a step back and try to give yourself and any seniors you know a break from the college talk. There is so much more happening in our lives. Focusing solely on college will cause us to miss out on everything happening in the present. If you really need to ask where someone is going to college, don’t make it a public event. Don’t ask loudly in front of an audience, or in a way that can publicly embarrass us. And don’t give us a surprised look or disbelieving murmur when we tell you.

To all the adults reading this article, I have a little piece of advice. For our sanity, please don’t ask us about college. We will let you know when we decide where we’re going, and we may even bring it up with you.

We only get one senior year and obsessing over college would be a waste. So please, stop talking about college.

22 Things the Class of ‘22 Would Rather Talk About

1. “Football” - Mira Beinart 2. “Prom dresses” - Rebecca Safra

3. “Grey’s Anatomy” - Kayla Liss

4. “Hot takes” - Talia Jacobson

5. “Politics” - Ariella Ball

6. “Tongs” - Avital Friedman 7. “The Bachelor” - Dalia Hochstein

8. “Each individual Talmud assignment”

- Aaron Adams 9. “Chem” - Zach Abrams

10. “Something I learned in class that day”

- Ellie Hasenberg

11. “The era of re-education in China”

- Adam Drexler 12. “Dogs” - Shevi Lerner

13. “The rising federal debt”- Naomi Gould

14. “Jewish philosophy” - Elyon Topolosky 15. “Killer whales”- Shira Neufeld

16. “The intricacies of a cucumber”

-Beck Bender 17. “The carpool line”- Eli Gordon 18. “The amazing school lunch”

-Brandon Portnoy

19. “How YoungBoy is better”- Sean Rich 20. “Pitbull’s discography”-

Nathan Gershengon 21. “SpongeBob” - Zoe Claywell

22. “Anything” - Elliot Sher

Why I march

What it was like to participate in D.C.’s recent pro-choice rally

Ellie Fischman Assistant Sports Editor

Rallying cries soared through the air, Freedom Plaza’s collective heartbeat on a recent Saturday morning. Whose body? My body! Whose choice? My choice! As I looked at the countless protestors at the Women’s March for Reproductive Justice, an indescribable feeling of empowerment overwhelmed me. My feet planted themselves on the asphalt because I knew that this was precisely where I needed to be. On Oct. 2, the Women’s March, Planned Parenthood and over ninety other organizations hosted a march against a new Texas abortion law. This legislation prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, and the only exception to this rule is if there is a medical emergency. However, the law does not define what qualifies as a medical emergency. Worst of all, it incentivizes ordinary citizens to prosecute abortion providers with a $10,000 reward and a reimbursement of all legal fees. Personally, I think this law is asinine. It criminalizes abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Most women don’t even know that they are pregnant at this point, let alone have time to make the emotionally-charged decision to have an abortion. Above all, what makes me “As I marched, a potent feeling of rage coursed through me at the mere thought that anyone presumed that they could tell me what to do with my body.”

angry about the law is that it treats pregnant women as subhuman beings who are incapable of making sane decisions. It’s ridiculous that Texas lawmakers don’t trust women with a simple choice, yet they trust them with the enormous responsibility of caring for a child. Most lawmakers can’t possibly understand what it must be like to be pregnant with a rapist’s baby, or to be pregnant with a baby that you can’t provide for or any of the other impossible situations that might motivate a woman to have an abortion. Women should have the right to decide for themselves when an abortion is necessary. This is why I march. I am terrified and I am mad. As I marched, a potent feeling of rage coursed through me at the mere thought that anyone presumed that they could tell me what to do with my

A protester hoists a sign that reads, “We need to talk about the elephant in the womb.”

Dozens of protesters rally in front of the capital with signs and banners decrying abortion bans.

Photos used with permisssion by Wendy Fischman

body, my decisions, my life. Comedian, actress and Texas native Cristela Alonzo hosted the march and opened it with a speech that really struck me. “I gotta say, I love my home state,” Alonzo said. “But that is why I’m here today. I love my home state of Texas so much that I am willing to fight for what is best for the people in it.”

Those words empowered me. Those words made me stand up taller. I feel that it is my duty to fight for Texas however I can. As the protest came to an end, we encountered a horde of counter protesters. They held up signs with grotesque images of aborted fetuses and chanted “Abortion hurts women!” There were police barricades and several feet of separation, and yet, their presence cast a large shadow over the crowd. But knowledge is power. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “The risk of death associated with childbirth is approximately fourteen times higher than that with abortion.”

The only time that abortion is a major concern for a woman’s wellbeing is when abortion is illegal. The Guttmacher Institute says that in regions with heavy restrictions on abortion, approximately 31% of abortions are unsafe. However, in settings with minimal restrictions on abortion, as low as 1% of abortions are unsafe. Basically, the Texas law does not prevent abortion—it prevents safe abortion. Those counter protestors can chant until their voices grow hoarse, but in reality, they are the ones who are fighting for policies that harm women.

5000

protesters participated in the rally 100+

cities hosted protests against Texas’ restrictions 31% of abortions in the U.S. are unsafe $10,000 is the compensation for reporting on women getting abortions in Texas

Information from NPR and Guttmacher Institute Instead of Texas focusing time and resources on counterproductive policies that wage war on reproductive rights, they should focus on improving foster care systems, lowering the poverty rate, improving neonatal care, creating affordable childcare and creating more jobs with livable wages. At the end of the day, there was so much about that march that resonated with me. However, nothing could impact me more than seeing a girl who couldn’t have been any older than six holding a sign that said, “You’re doing this for me.” By the end of the rally, her arms must have hurt, but she still stood there, holding that sign. And it’s true. That is why I marched. I am doing this for a new generation of strong women who deserve better than this.