It’s that time of year again. Many argue that the school year flies by, but for seniors, the second semester could not end soon enough. It seems as if January, February, March and April just drag along, taking its sweet time on its way to graduation. Because, as seniors think, in your last semester of high school, what really matters? Most seniors have already committed to college or made other post-graduation plans by the time spring rolls around, so the prevailing attitude is “what’s the point of stressing myself out in the last couple of months and actually doing work?” This extreme lack of motivation is the infamous “senioritis.”
Senioritis is VERY real and it couldn’t be more present at Lakota West. It’s amazed me how many of my senior friends have said the words “I’m just so done with high school” within the past month. Personally, I actually started having symptoms of senioritis back in the fall, but since the new year they have grown progressively worse. Not only do I have little motivation to complete all of my work to its fullest potential, but I feel as if I don’t even belong in the high school environment anymore.And I’m not nearly the only one who feels this way.
AP and Honors student Sonia Wasan noted that “My motivation has definitely gone down drastically, and I don’t feel as bad if I don’t complete assignments anymore. I used to stay up really late until I finished all of my homework, but now I just go to bed when I’m tired and deal with finishing my assignments the next day.” When asked if this has affected her grades, she said that “This definitely has impacted my grades because all four years of high school I have had straight As but right now I have low Bs.” It seems that senioritis affects many in the same ways.
Around this time, seniors also don’t feel as bad for not only doing their work, but skipping. Prior to this year, I had only skipped school without any excuse maybe once. This year, however, I’ve participated in a couple of senior skip days and walked out of the front doors in the middle of the day when I just strongly wanted to go home. During this, I had the mindset of “I don’t even care, I’m leaving in a few months anyway, I might as well.” It’s clear that the infectious disease “senioritis” can bring down even the best students.
