Senioritis. Debilitating senioritis.
This isn’t the first year, and won’t be the last this specific feeling is wiping out the senior class. Balancing the sentimentality of leaving high school with the extreme lack of motivation to do school work is difficult to say the least. The daily impacts of senioritis are felt far and wide by seniors at LFHS, and beyond.
What is senioritis and why does it occur?
Senioritis is in many ways just a collection of all the pressure built up from a senior’s whole school year. According to American media publication Psychology Today, senioritis is unfortunately an expected occurrence for 12th graders.
Stanford University graduate and University of Michigan adolescent psychology scholar Kelly Chen explained while senioritis is often dismissed and seen as laziness, professionals have provided a more complex explanation.
“Seniors have spent years juggling at times heavy coursework, extracurricular activities, standardized tests, and college or job applications. By the time spring arrives, many are simply exhausted,” said Chen.
The idea of planning your far-away future starts to creep closer and closer. This leaves seniors with the need to form their identity as a young adult, finalize future plans, and finish their senior year all at once. When these large tasks are put together, they cause immense burnout.
What are some impacts of senioritis?
Seniors at LFHS and around the country are constantly impacted by senioritis. This can press the urge to stay home on a sunny day, and unwillingly strip away motivation to do school work.
“I have really bad senioritis,” said senior Maggie Jarvinen. “I don’t feel like going to any of my classes or doing any work. I have no sense of urgency.”
Now this is just one senior who has been feeling the weight of senioritis, but she is not alone.
Senior Ava Pasquesi after being involved in countless activities, AP classes, and varsity sports for the last four years, has been recently hit with senioritis.
“I just don’t feel a need to come to school. I come to class and we are either watching a movie or doing a study hall with nothing to study for,” said Pasquesi.
This experience in senior classes spans many subjects and levels. As the year wraps up, it is safe to say more than just the students themselves tend to slow down.
“All we do in my classes is watch movies,” said senior Kate Mccann.
The time is ticking, and the curriculum is just about complete. This leaves students with the conscious mindset of school as daily impending doom.
Is senioritis curable?
No.
Is senioritis treatable?
Yes. Senioritis can be treatable with effort and awareness. It may not be easy, but ACT shared five effective ways that students can avoid senioritis. These practices include setting academic and personal goals, challenging yourself, staying involved or getting involved in new activities, committing to lifelong learning, and letting yourself enjoy senior year.
Enjoying senior year and recognizing the feelings that come with the end of it can help lessen the tempting procrastination and worry that senioritis evokes. Recognize the feeling, understand why it’s there, and work to move past it. While senioritis feels like a heavy weight, just like the special events we’ve all waited for—spring break, skip day, prom—this too shall pass.
