Diagnosing Students with Senioritis

The unofficial illness takes seniors by storm

By Josh Christiansen

   Many high school seniors, after finishing their college applications and fresh off of winter break, begin to slow down--really slow down. Like turtle slow down. As in they are the last to the race, slow down.
   It’s the seasonal affliction that all high school seniors seem to experience halfway through their last year K-12 schooling. Senioritis. Well, some claim to have it freshman year, but they are usually the slackers of the group. They had quit while everybody else was ahead. But those who continued to persevere through the first few years of high school were eventually diagnosed with senioritis.
   Missing class, not doing homework, and receiving lower grades on assignments they usually do well on are all symptoms and signs of this “-itis.”
    It’s not like they are legitimately ill. Skip days, not sick days, start to become more prevalent. Arriving after the first class of the day, pre-graduates drag themselves down the hallways with iced coffees in hand, usually enough for four people.
   It’s not difficult to understand why many seniors seem to crash second semester. After months of the tedious college admissions process, staying afloat in high school work, and trying to earn scholarships, seniors often feel like collapsing near the finish line. 
   However, parents and teachers think this “disease” is bogus. They complain about lack of motivation and say things like, “What are you going to do next year in college?” Or “wait until you’re in the real world.” 
   Like, we ARE in the real world. The one in which seniors get to slack off the last semester of their high school careers. It’s not like we’re going to give up forever, just a little while. Enough time to sail through the graduation ceremony and receive our graduation gifts at parties.
   Just like people talk about small children, seniors are basking in the glory of a huge accomplishment. A little time off is the bonus.