May 1 marks the deadline for high school seniors around the country to secure a spot at the college that they will be attending in the fall. It also marks the end of the long, exhausting college admissions journey.

Last Saturday, I went to my first-ever United for Uganda lock-in. The previous two years, I’ve either been too busy or sick when the lock-in took place, so I was excited to finally get the chance to spend an entire night at school with my friends.

There are many things that I know how to do: I can play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony expertly on the violin, I can run a mile in under six minutes, I can read Latin, and I can expound on Plato’s philosophy.

But there’s one thing — one common, everyday task — that I can’t do. That is cooking.

While many kids list Christmas as their favorite holiday, mine has always been Halloween. I've always been enchanted by the haunting history behind the whole holiday, which originated among the Celts more than 2,000 years ago.

All my life, I’ve been terrified of bugs and other creepy crawlers. I’ve been attacked by a swarm of fire ants, stung in the mouth by a bee that was on an apple I was eating, and bitten by I-don’t-even-know-how-many mosquitoes.

For as long as I could remember, I have always put extra effort into everything that I did.

These days, people are obsessed with text messaging.

Look down the street and you'll see people texting. Observe your classmates during class and you'll find somebody secretly texting behind a table. Take a peek into cars driving down the road and you'll see drivers texting.

The school year is finally almost over. The 5K is coming up, teachers are starting to buckle down in preparation for final exams, and a major case of senioritis has stricken the senior class.

As we rush into the month of May, we find ourselves among a national testing craze. APs are right around the corner, the impending final exams are looming in the shadows, and the dreaded SAT exam is going down this Saturday. All around me, people are discussing SAT and ACT scores.

Decisions. We constantly have to make them, from the time we roll out of bed and pick out something to wear to the time we crawl under the covers and think about when to set the alarm clock for.

The decisions we make cause a huge impact on our lives. Even though sometimes we don’t realize it, almost every thing we do and say is the result of some complicated decision process.

I have walked down the hallways of Uni a countless number of times, racing to my first-period classes or strolling around during lunch. I’m familiar with the signs that are posted on the walls, the signs that make this place uniquely Uni.

I have encountered everything from the frequent bake-sale posters to the occasional warnings that urge students to clean up the kitchen sinks.

In kindergarten, children often say things like “I’ll be your best friend forever if you give me your orange Popsicle for my purple one!” or “Hi, my name is Carrie. Let’s be best friends!”

However, as we grow older, we no longer use the term “best friend” so lightly.

Uni takes pride in its intelligent and talented student body. It boasts of high standardized test scores, a dedicated administration, and a competitive atmosphere. But frankly, sometimes the competition and tendency to overachieve can get a little annoying.

Tomorrow is the University of Illinois’ Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day celebration, also simply known as “Unofficial.”

So how does one celebrate Unofficial? Well, U of I students celebrate by getting drunk.

I think one of the most painful sensations is the feeling that you get when you force yourself to stay awake.

I would know; I experience this sensation during school almost every day. While falling asleep in class is nothing uncommon at Uni, it’s a phenomenon with significant consequences.