The Truth About Senioritis

The other night, I was sitting in my room doing my homework when I heard my dad call up the stairs to me. I knew we had just gotten the robocall from the principal and was waiting for what information my dad was going to tell me that I probably already knew.

“Mark your calendar for June 15, at 6pm.” He yelled. I asked what for and he said again, emphasizing each word a little more, “June 15, at 6pm.”

That’s when it hit me; that was the day that I would be graduating from high school.

Earlier in the year, I wrote about all of the new wonders that came along with being a senior. My new parking space - which I was so excited about - I wasn’t even able to park in most of the winter because of the mountain of snow that the plows stuck in my space.

Or my senior privilege pass that let me come into school late with a refreshed look on my face because I didn’t have to wake up before the crack of dawn to trudge into school with the rest of the zombies I call classmates.

But there was one key detail that I left out: Senioritis.

Symptoms include: Lack of homework completion, giving up on doing any sort of work in class, ditching class, laziness, and the over-excessive wearing of sweatpants and t-shirts.

It is a crippling disease to every senior’s GPA where the only cure is graduation. And while it is not medically accepted, it is very real to every senior in high school.

Now that college acceptance letters have come out, and with just over a month left in school, I can imagine that every senior, like myself, is ready to leave and get on to college.

For me, senioritis didn’t kick in until after spring break. I had been excited for all of the events that were coming up, like the start of lacrosse season, the spring musical, prom, and a few other events that my school puts on at the end of the year. But after the little taste of vacation time, I am ready to skip all of those events and graduate.

I have heard stories of students with some of the most severe symptoms of senioritis. One student got his college acceptance letter and then stopped showing up to school. He missed over 30 days of school. In the long run, his college found out that he had been skipping school and took away his admission acceptance to their school.

I have seen grades drop dramatically by the end of fourth quarter, and some people that should have graduated on graduation day ended up failing one or more of their classes and had to make it up in summer school.

It is still important to do some work, but the motivation to do all work is just lost. I am even experiencing senioritis writing this. Some may call it writer's block, but I know that as I sit in class, I would much rather be playing my current obsession, Hay Day, on my phone than doing my work.

Photo Credit: Emily Harrison