Is Senioritis Real?

Submit, submit, submit. Seniors are racing towards the end of high school as they submit their remaining college applications and face their last few months of high school. But, of course, the last few miles are always the hardest.

Having acquired knowledge from older siblings, relatives, and former high school alumni, seniors have probably  heard of the disease “senioritis.” The term was first coined by American and Canadian students who displayed signs of lethargy when faced with studies. The alleged “disease” is characterized by a decline in motivation and performance. This disease is infamous for attacking students in their final year of high school.

Is senioritis real? Current seniors studying at high schools in Los Angeles, California gave a definite answer about the illness.

Destiny Lee, a senior at Beverly Hills High School, told JSR, “Yeah, I think it’s real. The pressure from college applications and grades is so high, and when it’s over, people tend to relax.”

Former high school students also spoke about their experience with senioritis.

“Senioritis is definitely real, and it hit during my second semester of senior year,” said Tiffany Rhee, a former senior at Cleveland Charter High School. “Because I knew about my decision to Berklee School of Music due to early action, I felt like I didn’t need to work as hard, but I still got my work done.”

Prashanth Rajesh, a freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, stated that, “I think senioritis is real because people perceive it to be. People think ‘I can slack off more second semester and just blame senioritis.’ At least, that’s what happened to me: I started to slack off more by coming to class later, doing my homework with less care, and all-around treating school more like a joke.”

The students have spoken. Although this is a small group out of the millions of seniors in high schools, all of them believe and have experienced senioritis. Senioritis seems to hit after college application season is over. It appears that the only cure is graduation. Until then, many seniors suffer from symptoms of laziness, lack of studying, and repeated absences.

However, seniors must beware of the sudden drop in academic achievement on their transcripts. Colleges may rescind acceptances if a student’s grades are below average due to their concern about the student’s commitment. In order to avoid senioritis, it is advised to set small goals, improve study habits, and find the time to relax.