Kendall Johnson

Countless numbers of missing assignments, extremely low attendance percentages, distancing from others, personality changes. These are the most common signs and tells of “senioritis.” It is not unknown that most seniors in high school have an episode of senioritis.
Senioritis is defined as students in their final year of high school experiencing a decline in motivation within school and extracurricular activities. Our school is not an exception to this common problem within upperclassmen. Senior Sophia Dial shares her experiences of senioritis this year.
“I do not want to wake up and when I hear my alarm I instantly hit snooze. I don’t think I have ever used the snooze button so much in my life until this year but now it is my best friend. I am late to the Cass bus all the time because I would rather be in bed than go to school anymore,” said Dial.
Why is this the case for so many seniors? Why do seniors feel that they cannot make it through their last year of high school? Senior Makayla Lint explains why senioritis is making such an impact on her year.
“Basically I am just tired of doing my work and I am getting to the point where I have done this for so long and now that I have to actually apply for scholarships and college I have other things to worry about other than schoolwork,” said Lint.
Lint is a top performer in her class and plans on pursuing a degree in nursing. Before this year, she hasn’t experienced this decline in motivation. She never thought that senioritis would have an effect on her life.
“I definitely believed in senioritis but I never thought I would be impacted by it. But now that I have decided to go to school out of state it has impacted me more. It is my last year of school in the state and it is sad but hopeful at the same time,” said Lint.
There are many factors that can contribute to causing senioritis, not just going to college out of state. Senior Celia Barber had another trigger.
“I think if I didn’t have Launch classes because all my classes are pretty easy and light work other than precalculus. I am not being told what to do so I do not do it with Launch classes so it is easy for me to procrastinate,” said Barber.
With the effects of the COVID-19 virus, virtual Launch classes have been implemented into many students’ lives. Launch courses have been shown to allow students to fall off tasks much easier as well as lose the motivation to continue the class. For seniors, Launch classes are an opportunity for students to stay home longer and have a lighter load of work in most cases. However, it can be hard for students to continue to do work with the low accountability.
Another factor that goes into the effects of senioritis is the drama that comes with high school. For Dial, the drama is exhausting after all the years dealing with it.
“It is hard to deal with and I’m ready to be somewhere without constant lies and drama and jealousy,” said Dial.
For girls, drama can be the end all be all for high school. After years of constant comparison and pettiness, it gets overrated and students want to escape it. With this being said, these students have continued to work hard and show up despite the low motivation and tiredness. Barber explains why she continues to show up and get school work done.
“I also know that I can’t just give up because I know I need these good grades so I can get the scholarships that I want, leading me to be financially stable early on,” said Barber.
For students like Barber, keeping up on school work for the future is the motivator. Setting their future up for the best possible outcomes is important for them. Whether they experience the decrease in motivation and the constant tiredness, not allowing that to affect their future is key.