High school. It’s something most have to go through in life. For many, it’s a wild experience that they’ll never forget. But I think we can all agree it’s an adventure complete with various highs and lows. One of these lows is a common affliction called “Senioritis,” which self-explanatorily affects seniors in high school.
Though I’ve heard conflicting definitions for it over the years, the generally understood consensus is that it’s “a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance” as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary. It is also characterized by seemingly sudden mood shifts, procrastination, a decrease in academic performance to name a few. These symptoms are typically most prevalent in those who do sports, extracurriculars, or have jobs.
Its popularity has grown exponentially within the past decade, especially seeing another significant rise in use since 2019. But where did this term originate from? Surprisingly, it’s not from this century. Allegedly, its first documented use was in 1907 in a Chicago Alumni Magazine. Nowadays, it’s a shared experience among high school seniors and even some juniors shockingly.
I talked to fellow seniors about their experience with Senioritis and how they deal with it.
Senior Liz Joseph gave two crucial pieces of advice that I feel a lot of people tend to do. She said, “The worst thing to do with [Senioritis] is ignore it … if you’re struggling with [Senioritis], TELL SOMEONE. Do NOT go through it alone.” It is so important to keep these in mind throughout senior year. Acknowledge how you’re feeling and share it with those you trust.
Personally, I’ve felt my fair share of Senioritis. Even while writing this, I’m feeling that lack of motivation and indolence. But I choose to use this lethargic experience in a proactive way, by using it as writing material for this article. Senioritis can be extremely intense at times, making it seem like nothing I do academically matters, and that my motivation is decreasing by the second. To combat this debilitating feeling, I typically try to just work through it. Usually, I feel it whenever I have a lot of homework to do, so I just put on some music or an episode of Regular Show and do my best to get it done.
My advice to underclassmen who have yet to experience Senioritis, or even current seniors who don’t know how to deal with it, is not to push yourself too hard. Let yourself feel the way that you do and don’t forget to take breaks and do the things you enjoy. We’re on the cusp of adulthood, which inherently comes with real-world responsibilities that we don’t have to deal with just yet. So, take it easy, spend time with your friends/doing the things you love, and just enjoy it while it lasts.
References:
- https://www.oed.com/dictionary/senioritis_n?tab=factsheet#276577293
- https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/senioritis
- https://chattymatters.com/8553/previous-articles-videos/what-is-senioritis/#:~:text=The%20idea%20of%20senioritis%20started,last%20year%20of%20high%20school.
- http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=7&case_insensitive=on&content=senioritis
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senioritis
- Survey Responses: Liz Joseph, Piper, Abby, Kelsie Bartlett, N/A, Anonymous, Casey, Emmanuel, Alan, James
