Senioritis, affectionately coined “senior fever” by my mother, is a dangerous illness that targets many second-semester (and in more serious cases, first-semester) high school seniors. Symptoms include a lack of motivation, elevated ego, and slashed attendance rates. In severe instances, it can even lead to a lowered GPA, failing grades and a rescindment letter from your dream college. But worry not, today I will be detailing 10 common signs that you might be suffering from senioritis, and some ways to ~cure~ this tragic disease.
- Your teacher assigns you a group project, and your first instinct is to burrow under the covers and never think about said group project again. I mean, someone else in the group who actually cares can do the assignment, right?
- You tell yourself that you’ll actually start trying in college… until college comes around and you find yourself slipping back into your procrastinator ways (no, this is totally not something that I’m familiar with… I mean, I’m obviously a model student…)
- Your biggest priority is creating dorm decor Pinterest boards and researching cute coffee shops in your future college town… once again, totally not speaking from experience.
- Assignments that are “due tomorrow” have translated into “do tomorrow.” Or maybe the day after. Or maybe never.
- That Criminal Minds obsession has become kind of concerning and now you find yourself watching Netflix during your Zoom classes instead of, well, actually paying attention.
- You’ve run out of good excuses (or just don’t bother) to explain why you were late or straight up didn’t show up to class.
- You spend more time trying to calculate what you need on the final to pass the class instead of actually studying for the final.
- It’s difficult to do any reading that’s longer than a few paragraphs. Honestly, are you still reading this blog post?!
- You find yourself reaching for the sweatpants and pajama pants more than usual. I don’t blame you though, comfort over couture anyday.
- That tWo-MiNuTe sTuDy bReAk suddenly turned into a two-hour break and you forgot what you were studying for in the first place.
If left untreated, senioritis can lead to a significant drop in GPA and the rescinding of a college acceptance letter. And while I completely understand and sympathize with the desire to take a break and cut yourself some slack, be sure to set attainable goals for yourself and create a plan to stay organized and motivated. Here are a couple of my suggestions:
- Get involved with some new activities at school, like an intramural sports team or a club that you’ve always wanted to join but never had the chance to! Now or never, right?
- Start a new hobby, or dive back into one that you didn’t have the time to pursue before. I learned how to crochet last year and it’s been a great way to lower my stress and keep me focused.
- Keep your eyes on the prize! Don’t flush 12+ years of hard work all down the drain! Think about all of the hard work that you have put forth thus far, and use that as motivation to keep the momentum!
- Stay active! I’ve found that going for a morning run or even doing a short yoga routine has helped me to feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the day ahead!
- Create small study groups with your friends and classmates and hold each other accountable! Some of my best high school memories were sitting at a local coffee shop with a few friends, studying for an upcoming exam or working on a group project!
- Spend more time with your family! Truthfully, college can be a little difficult since you are moving away from family for probably the first time in your life. Savor these times as you wrap up highschool where you can hang out with your parents and siblings!
After years of stressing about school and putting in hours of hard work, wanting to let loose a bit is perfectly normal. In fact, I encourage you to shift some of the focus from academics onto other matters, like friends and family. However, this isn’t the time to drop the ball completely. You only have a few months of high school left, so make it count and strike that balance between getting attainable grades and having fun. You got this!