Let’s face it. At this time during the school year, many of us have hit a brick wall and simply don’t care about being diligent in our work anymore.
For many, including myself, senioritis begins after receiving the first acceptance letter from a college or university. An acceptance letter reminds seniors that they are almost done with their high school careers and must only endure a few more months until graduation.
This can lead seniors to believe that they don’t have to put the same amount of effort into their schoolwork and can cause students to begin to not complete homework and not study for tests.
We’ve worked hard for three and a half long semesters, and feel that we’re entitled to a fun final semester – without homework.
Senioritis is defined as “decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college, and graduate school careers.” Senioritis is not an excuse for students to be lazy. It is a real problem that takes over the minds and habits of soon-to-be high school graduates.
Those who view senioritis as a scapegoat are not looking at the big picture. It’s not that we’re lazy, we’re just sick of being in high school and would rather spend our time doing things we want. I’m not saying that senioritis forces students to completely fall off the grid. Since becoming a second semester senior, I’ll admit that I have definitely slacked off and not finished some of my homework. The reason behind this: senioritis. I didn’t feel the need to stress myself out with something else to do – so I just didn’t do it.
Speaking from experience, senioritis does exist. Although it may not affect all second semester seniors, various severities of senioritis definitely hits a large amount of students.
A minor case of senioritis can include skipping a few assignments, missing class infrequently, and slight procrastination, while a serious case of senioritis can include missing class on a regular basis, not completing the majority of assignments, not studying, and major procrastination when it comes to projects and homework.
On the first day of second semester, Carlmont teacher Kristine Weisman warned her class of seniors to not fall into the traps of senioritis. “Don’t stop showing up and slack off. Once you do, these habits are extremely difficult to break and they may carry into your first semester of college.”
That being said, I believe that senioritis is more prevalent regarding homework rather than extra-curricular activities. Although I have skipped a few homework assignments, I haven’t let my laziness in the classroom affect the fact that I have two jobs to worry about. To keep senioritis in check, seniors should spread out their workload so they are not overwhelmed, stay involved in extra-curricular activities to balance their academic schedules, and most important, get that diploma.
