Senior Year Supersedes Senioritis! 

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Senior Year 2021 Supersedes Senioritis! 

Staff Reporter Taelor Cofield

Every year, stressed-out students succumb to an epidemic during what is or should be their last year of school. Is it laziness, or, is it really senioritis?  Well, maybe It’s both. Most high school and college seniors believe it’s real. However, a lot of parents, teachers, school administrators and even students remain unconvinced. 

Senioritis is a noticeable case that takes effect during the second semester of senior year. Generally characterized by symptoms such as apathy, low motivation, shrugging off responsibilities to attend class, completing homework, or studying for tests. However, senioritis is not a recognized medical condition or mental health disorder. In fact, some people think that senioritis is just a convenient, made-up excuse for apathy. 

Many students claim to have senioritis at the end of high school or college, but they don’t know what is actually happening.  When constantly striving to achieve new goals, seniors can eventually make you crash and burn out. In addition, by their second semester, many seniors have already received college acceptance letters or found jobs, causing them to believe that the rest of the school year does not matter. Also, some students perceive that they’ve “reached the finish line” causing them to get bored.  As graduation nears, students begin to fear the unknown.  Some ask themselves, “Is this the end of relationships, friendships, and my senior social life?”  all which  causes them to think they can stop time, allowing senioritis to fully kick in. 

Students can however, go to their counselors for help to fight senioritis. Counselors have been helping students engage in tasks that are relevant to their personal interests and goals. They’ve also encouraged them to responsibly enjoy their senior experience, commit to internships or career focused jobs, manage important dates and deadlines, and avoid obsessing over the college admission process. 

My advice to freshmen and future seniors is to cherish and enjoy your high school experiences, take senioritis  seriously, although some believe it’s just laziness, try to recognize any senioritis symptoms, then take steps to avoid the negative effects in order to succeed in senior year and beyond. ~ Taelor Cofield

5/27/21