Is turning 18 as big of a deal as everyone says it is, or is it extremely over-hyped?

The exciting ‘one-eight’ is a truly special day for everyone, but with it comes overwhelmingly tough responsibilities. It opens up a whole new world, for better and for worse.

Finally I will be able to call myself out of school. That dream tattoo I’ve always wanted will soon be on my arm. And the best part, I can do whatever I want without my parents being able to say anything (hopefully).

Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to make my own decisions but what am I supposed to do when I get faced with a bill for the first time? And Jury Duty? No thanks. I’ll pass on being fully responsible for all my actions too.

But am I getting too excited for nothing? A lot of seniors don’t notice any difference when it comes to high school after turning 18. Senior Joanna White said, “Being 18 in high school is nothing special. It’s just like all the other years, except you can check yourself out of school. I can’t remember what I did once I first turned 18, but I’m sure it wasn’t anything special because if it was, I would remember it.”

Being 18 can also be scary; it means you’re growing up! I mean you are literally legally an adult now. A lot of seniors are having that “aha” moment and realizing that they are not a kid anymore and that they will be moving on to scary things. Senior Christine Martin said, “Ok well… I turned 18 like a week ago haha but it kind of just made me realize even more that I’m leaving! On my birthday I was like woah this is real! I’m an adult! I’m gonna be living on my own next year! Besides that mental realization it’s not different at all so far!”

The best part of turning 18 is that you can finally sign yourself out, get tattoos and buy lottery tickets. I can’t wait to make millions with my first lotto ticket. A lot of seniors have already taken advantage of this.

Bennet Cvijanovich said, “Uh, I think it’s exactly the same besides the fact that you can call in sick yourself. The first thing I did was buy a lotto ticket.”

Cvijanovich wasn’t the only one. Claire Ortiz also said, “Being 18 in high school so far hasn’t made that much of a difference but knowing that I am 18 and that I have the ability to sign myself out whenever I want is pretty sweet although I rarely actually use this to my benefit because I don’t want to miss class lol. I would say it isn’t too much different unless you want to take advantage of it. Actually the very first thing I did when I turned 18 was I drove to Circle K at 12:30 a.m. on my birthday and bought myself a lottery ticket.”

Turning 18 can be a big deal. Although it definitely comes with way more freedom and new opportunities, it also brings boring adult stuff. If you’re turning 18 soon, you might want to start learning how to do your own laundry before it’s too late. 18 might not make much of a difference inside of high school but once you’re out it’s a whole new story.