The Second Quarter Slump
Seniors. Even though they haven’t finished their four years, they’ve already checked out. They start out as freshmen, and they spend the year learning the ropes and memorizing their locker combinations. Then comes sophomore year, when the students are finally starting to understand the system of the school. Next, the dreaded junior year rolls along, a time of SATs, ACTs, and AP U.S. History. Finally, senior year comes as a long-anticipated relaxation period, which causes plenty to catch the case of senioritis early on. It’s deadly and once you get it, there’s no going back.
Do you feel as if your motivation is starting to deteriorate? Are you having trouble handing assignments on time? Even when you’re in school do you tend to look at the clock every second hoping for the miracle that class will be over? Well, you’ve just been infected with seniorits. During senior year, students convince themselves that the classes they are taking just aren’t worth their time as many commit to college in the first few months. When asked why seniors tend to give up their last year of high school, Justin Zelamsky says, “We get into college. The second we know we have something going for us in the near future, we become relaxed. We start to lose our fear for failure. Sadly, many students take the easy way out and this will not help them on the path to adulthood.”
Ultimately, there are a lot of opportunities that high school offers to seniors, even if they choose just to count down the days until graduation instead. Essentially feeling unmotivated to study, not showing up to class, giving up on after school activities, and questioning why it is even necessary to try in school anymore is always on the forefront of students whom have seniorits. Questions like “why do I need to take calculus if I am going to be an English major?” and “what’s the point of staying after school everyday?” come up in everyday conversations. Once a student has senioritis, it’s almost as if coming to class everyday is no longer a possibility; simply showing up is a challenge and class periods feel twice as long as they should.
However, it’s possible to avoid senioritis. Some students stay motivated throughout the year, even though they have been accepted to colleges. It can be as simple as avoiding wearing the same pair of sweatpants and sweatshirts every week. Those who have not been infected make the most out of their last their by being involved in clubs, and focus on ending their last year with a bang. Senior Connie He, an extremely motivated student, said, “College is going to be more difficult than high school, so if you don’t put in enough effort into your senior year your brain and intelligence will probably slowly deteriorate. That will not be good.”
Lastly, many cases of senioritis can easily be cured. One must continue to participate in extracurriculars and cherish the last memories that he or she will ever have in high school. Essentially, the only person who can change the attitude you have about this year is yourself; there is no long lasting cure to this widespread sickness, but it is important to tackle the problem day by day if you wish to avoid being senioritis’s next victim.
