I recently sent out a simple three-question survey to the seniors of HHS, and ironically, only 10 seniors responded. What does this tell you about senior year for most students? That the phenomenon known as ‘senioritis’ is real, and we should look at it more than just students ‘being lazy.’
The idea of senioritis is typically defined as “a common affliction describing the lack of motivation felt by students who are reaching the end of their courses” according to Southern New Hampshire University. This can result in things such as a decrease in grades, attendance, and motivation.
While there is no set time that senioritis can set in, according to senior Zilynn Watt, she has been feeling the effects of senioritis “since the seniors last year crossed the stage.”
Senioritis can affect students differently, but the early signs of senioritis can be noticed in students who have had a steady decrease in grades new to their senior year.
“My grades were pretty decent at the beginning of the year and now they’re slowly slipping,” Watt said.
Senior year is often one of the busiest for most students, with planning for life after high school and being pushed to stand out academically and have many extracurriculars, it makes sense that students begin to feel overwhelmed.
While there is still no one cause of senioritis, for students like senior Christopher Watkins, it can often be the result of burnout after a year of accomplishments.
“I tried hard at the beginning of the year as I’m in 2 AP & 1 ACP classes this year,” Watkins said, “I later got accepted into SLU and started to slack more on my work or turn assignments in late. Sometimes I don’t even get around to doing an assignment. I got my future plans figured out, and then the senioritis truly kicked in.”
While some may believe that this phenomenon is unique to seniors, some may argue that all students may start to feel this way due to the anticipation that comes with the end of the school year.
Watt believes that senioritis could be real, but also believes there could be other reasons for the symptoms.
“But, then again I also feel that maybe at the end of every year, students don’t feel as motivated and are just ready to get out for the summer break,” Watt said.
I am a senior who has accomplished a lot throughout the past 4 years. I have won awards, gotten good grades, and spent 98% of my time dedicated to my clubs, and got into a great college. Now that I have done all that, the senioritis has started to kick in, making me feel like the stereotypical ‘lazy teen’.
So, as someone who has never been the kind of student to be defined as ‘lazy’ and ‘unmotivated’ in the past, senioritis is real, and even the most motivated, goal-oriented students can experience it.
