Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Lena Pearson

If you were to ask most seniors what the hardest thing is about their final year of high school, some might say the rigorous classes or the process of deciding on a college, but the most prominent answer is simply “getting through it.”

This feeling is commonly labeled as “senioritis,” the faux-medical affliction that many students are riddled with in the stretch before spring break, in which they feel restless or lose motivation for high school as they know their graduation day soon awaits them. Although it’s exciting to plan for the future and look forward to college, senior Titans recognize the importance of finishing high school strongly, each with their individual ways of powering through.

For most students affected by senioritis, it begins post-winter break and continues until the moment they walk the stage at the end of the school year. It can be caused by a number of factors such as the monotonous routine of waking up early every morning or, for many, the excitement of starting a new chapter in college. 

“My senioritis right now is really bad. I’ve always been a procrastinator, but lately it’s seemed to have gotten really bad because I’m kind of just focusing on graduating and anticipating going off to college instead of finishing out high school and cherishing what I have right now,” senior Garrin Reiter said.

Graduates looking forward to the future and mapping out the upcoming years of their lives is a common cause for senioritis, as it leads students to focus on what is to come, rather than the present. Both seniors and early graduates feel that they have experienced their fair share of high school and are looking forward to life’s next steps.

“Although I’m technically both a junior and a senior, my senioritis is really bad. Even though I haven’t been here for the full four years, it’s definitely felt like I’ve been here for way too long and I’m ready to be done with the same routine,” early graduate Emily Viands said. “I’m looking forward to a schedule that doesn’t take up so much of my time where I can have more freedom.”

Many feel that their case of senioritis stems from the lack of new activities to try after they’ve been in high school for a while, as many students have kept busy throughout their four years of education.

“Honestly, I have nothing new to experience at West because I’ve already done so much, so I like the idea of seeing new people and trying new things outside of high school,” senior Gray Dimock said.

Although many seniors have already received their college decision letters and some have even committed to schools, they must maintain good grades and attendance in order to keep their acceptance status for the fall. This is a common motivation for those afflicted with senioritis to keep their effort afloat.

“What’s been pushing me to do well and finish out high school strongly has been the possibility of having my admission rescinded from colleges. It’s been pushing me to keep up my grades and not burn out in order to still go to the school I’ve already committed to,” Reiter said.

Others have specific goals for the future that motivate them to carry their hard work and good grades all the way to the end of the school year. 

“Feeling that I’m so close to being out of high school is what’s reminding me that I can make it, but also my plans for college only require one year to graduate. At the Charlotte Aveda Institute, I can just get my degree and start life. Everything seems so close that I feel like I’m going to power through and get through all of it,” Angle said.

There is no doubt that senioritis is a contagious and all-consuming affliction, but the Titans have found their individual methods and incentives to keep going. There is light at the end of every tunnel, and senioritis is the first step before discovering a world full of new opportunities in college.