With the end of AP Exam season, most students see a new abundance of free time in their hands and lack of stress. How do Woodbridge High students spend this time?

“I’ve tried to go out more with friends,” junior Haran Gunabal answered.

This is probably where most people’s minds go. The school year is winding down and it’s the last you see the people around you for some time or maybe even forever. After months of sacrificing time with friends and family, students naturally want to reconnect with their peers.

“I stay up later,” junior Paul Beal said.

People often say that getting good sleep is one of the most important things when it comes to preparing for exams. When students no longer have these exams, it gives them the opportunity to go out later at night, play a game and more without the fear of having something serious coming up. However, this goes both ways. Some people might find that prior to AP Exams they were getting very little sleep. As a result, they take this time to recharge by taking more naps and sleeping for a greater amount of time.

However, students’ views on this new freetime varies.

“Senioritis is a real thing…somtimes it does not feel like it’s worth going to class,” senior Ankur Parikh said.

Seniors feel the burnout the hardest. Four years of hard work has finally led to a new chapter. Furthermore, seniors likely have the most free time out of all the classes due to them already having their plan for the rest of the year ready. As a result of the two factors, seniors likely feel more sluggish than the other classes after AP Exam season.

“I see it as a well deserved rest…This is probably the hardest I’ve ever studied,” Gunabal said. For many underclassmen and juniors, on the other hand, the end of testing brings a profound sense of accomplishment rather than just exhaustion, allowing them to finally relax with the knowledge that their academic perseverance paid off.

All in all, the post-AP Exam period serves as a necessary transition phase. Whether they spend their new free hours getting more sleep, being more social, or getting ready to wrap up, the sudden drop in academic pressure offers everyone a chance to breathe.