As the third quarter of this long school year approaches, it is only natural for students and teachers alike to begin daydreaming of finishing school and summer vacation.  For seniors this feeling is tenfold as they are committing to university and are thinking deeply about graduating, leaving high school, and starting their new lives.  Due to this, it seems typical that these seniors disassociate from their high school lives and their dedication to their academic education might fall by the wayside.  For these students who have already planned their colleges realize that their goal has been reached, and it isn’t necessary to continue working as hard as they have been for the past four year.

This loss of motivation at the end of the school year has been coined as ‘senioritis’. Some symptoms of this are a lack of interest in classes, disassociation from extracurricular activities, wearing lounge clothing excessively, and or procrastination.  Above all senioritis can be classified as a lack of motivation.  You don’t need to fall victim to senioritis! 

Some ways to stay motivated include pushing yourself to remain involved in extracurriculars and activities with friends.  Don’t distance yourself or remove yourself from activities that once excited you!  

“The easiest way for me to stay motivated is to stay involved in the clubs I am passionate about, such as the Women’s Empowerment Club,” says senior Leah Schachter. 

Another helpful tip is to find things to replace the drive of getting into college.  Whether that is making sure you are finishing your high school career strong with a high GPA or by taking a class or extracurricular that makes you motivated and passionate.   Make sure you hold yourself accountable for attending school every day and if you have trouble with doing that, talk to your family about holding you accountable as well. 

 “Sometimes missing school is inevitable, but I find that forcing myself to go to school the majority of the time helps me combat senioritis,” says senior Jae Longaro.  

Just by getting yourself up and to school in the mornings is half of the battle, once you are there the rest becomes easier. 

Staying involved in high school academically and socially can be vital in preserving your memories of your experience.  By giving into senioritis, you are only allowing your last part of high school to be less memorable.  It is a shame to work so hard for so long only to not reward yourself productively.  One of the many bonuses of the weight of college leaving your shoulders is that you can throw yourself into doubling down on making exciting memories that will last!

Finally, a misconception that feeds into senioritis is that university won’t see a student’s last quarter grades or final grades.  This is not true as in all college contracts there is a clause that allows universities to take back their offer to the students.  Since many colleges don’t get these grades until June or July, some students find themselves scrambling to find another institution to commit to.  This might be all because they sadly gave into senioritis, don’t let this be you.

Succumbing to senioritis is a major disservice to all the tedious and diligent work students put in during their four years at high school.  If you succumb to senioritis, you’ll regret it in the long run.  Building up your support system is necessary to ensure you can finish off the school year strong.  The finish line is so close!