As a fourth-marking period senior, my after school schedule is something my younger-self would look on with extreme envy. Free from the academic stressors that used to consume my time, my afternoons are now filled with boba, hours glued to my bed, or countless hours spent doing anything and nothing with my friends. Schoolwork has been pushed far into my periphery, and in the center of my focus is the next episode of “The Last of Us.”

     “Senioritis,” is no newfound sickness. Since freshman year of high school, I heard seniors complaining about their lack of motivation and blaming their unfinished assignments on so-called senioritis. But four years later, senioritis is no longer a mythical condition, but a confusing reality for me and my 400 other classmates. 

     On one hand, having senioritis feels like the culmination of our high school years. After four  grueling years of never-ending assignments, innumerable exams, immeasurable hours of afterschool activities and outrageous amounts of college essay drafts, the class of ‘23 is finally at the end of a very long tunnel. Who wouldn’t wear senioritis like a badge of honor when we hand in tests we’ve barely studied for and watch the clock go from 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM with no care for the assignment that just went missing? Who wouldn’t enjoy the privileges of having senioritis and take the chance to relax before we move onto our next 4-year academic marathon?

     “I’m enjoying the fact that I now feel like I can relax a little bit more and take more time to do things I like rather than being stressed out for the rest of the year,” said Anushri Dwivedi (‘23). 

    Lidia Krigeris (‘23) said, “I feel like this is the first time that I got to breathe throughout my high school career. It’s a lot calmer. Especially compared to last year which was so much more stressful, this year is a lot better for me.” 

     Senioritis isn’t as good as it sounds. Since the weighty academic pressure has finally been lifted, the urge to stop trying is harder than ever to resist. Yet school is not over. When I catch a glimpse of my grades after days of carefree unproductiveness, senioritis feels less like a reward and more like a relentless uphill climb. “I still have tests and exams that I need to do and I just don’t have the same motivation to study for them,” said Krigeris. 

     There also seems to exist a growing sense of restlessness and impatience during class as seniors approach the promised land: graduation. 

     Observing her senior students in her Statistics classes, Ms. Samantha Silva said, “The time of focus has been dwindling down for them. Their attention span is getting shorter and shorter. They also keep wanting to move. They’re just moving [around the classroom] all the time.”      

     Some students deal with senioritis by scaling back on their academic effort but not giving up completely, something I should really learn to do. Snehal Paliwal (‘23) said, “I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not constantly stressed by everything but I still care. So I’m not studying enough to overwork myself but doing enough to feel good about myself and not let my teachers down.” 

     Others are concerned about senioritis’s lasting impact on their work ethic. “I’m actually a little bit worried,” said Rachael Kapoor (‘23). “I feel like I’m not going to have motivation for college.”

     While senioritis is a struggle, it is also a rite of passage for high school seniors. With June around the corner , we should focus on things that matter, making the most out of the little time we have with the people we cherish. 

     “Senioritis is hitting me hard especially after my AP tests are winding down but it’s also giving me time to hang out after school with my friends and family,” said Paliwal. “I get to relax and do things for myself. I think in the couple of weeks before graduation, this is very important and will be very fun.” 

IMAGE BY VIVIAN XIE (’23)