The end of the school year is always a frenzy, but specifically, the chaos lies with the senior class. With all the senior events nearing, is it fair to say senioritis takes full effect?
Senioritis is a common phrase from teachers and past students that is believed to affect senior’s efforts in the classroom. It is said that that phrase was first created in 1957 and has not changed since.
Motivation is important to maintain as the year ends, yet it is difficult as thoughts of graduation and college creep in. “Just knowing that you’re almost at the finish line kind of halts your motivation,” said senior Ammar Haider.
It is like a four-year race that is about to finish, and that anticipation causes senioritis. To be fair, that excitement and anticipation will seep out for every senior.
Seniors constantly look ahead to the future instead of focusing on the present, and the care factor declines.
Even though senioritis is evident in seniors to some degree, how much does it affect the quality of their work?
It is typical that seniors let off the gas later in the year and their work quality dips as a result. “I do feel that as we near the end of high school, I worry more about that than my work. It can be seen with the quality of work that I turn in,” said senior Niko Duggan.
For seniors, it’s vital to manage senioritis and the waves of distraction that come near the end of the year to finish strong. The drop-offs aren’t always substantial but can be in bad cases.
For many years, teachers have seen the effects senioritis has on their senior students and their effort on classwork toward the end of the school year.
“I would tell seniors to prioritize the most important assignments first, keep track of due dates, and do not procrastinate,” said Ian O’Donoghue, Plainfield East teacher.
Organization and time management are important for seniors, as many events and assignments are due before graduation. Those skills should be considered when trying to stay on track.
To be proactive, seniors can find different ways or tactics to avoid procrastination and other effects senioritis has on their school life.
“ I try to flip perspectives and think that since there is only around a month left I should stay the course since I’m almost done. It’s the opposite of thinking that I’m almost done, so let me just slack off,” said senior Muneer Mohammad.
Whether it is a change of perspective, which is the route Mohmmad took, or other practices, senior students can find motivation to finish on the right track.
All in all, senioritis is clearly a real ideology normalized today. The effects can be managed and are typically not very substantial, but rather normal senior tendencies as their long-lasting high school life nears an end.