You would think that after all of the hard work that has been dedicated for the past eleven years in the school system, most Seniors would be motivated to finish strongly to obtain their degree amongst other accolades. Yet what tends to happen, especially towards the end of the year, is nearly all become infected by Senioritis.

Senioritis is defined by Merriam-Webster to be, “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school Seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” This phenomenon becomes more prevalent as the final year in an institution comes to a close because almost all students are burnt out. Those sleepless nights and stressful days eventually catch up begging the question, “If all of it was worth it?”

The irony starts with the fact that this is supposed to be the final stretch. The finish line has a date yet the burnt-out suffocates students minds to the point where that date becomes daunting instead of liberating. The main reason is because every other school year guarantees a level up into the next grade but with the final year, it’s up to the student to decide on what they want to do with the rest of their life. Most go to college or trade school while some take a break or choose to be in the workforce right away. That freedom to make that choice without the guarantee of what the next year will look like is scary for a lot of people who relied on the school system to keep them afloat.

Even if the student chooses to go to college or trade school, the reality that money is involved is scary. Students are forced into this final year to make a decision that will inevitably affect their lives forever. And that decision has to be made while they’re trying to stay on track to graduate and apply for the things that are awaiting them in the future. This causes an immense amount of stress that ends up putting students in this rut where it becomes hard to get everything done and go to school.

Personally, I’ve already experienced this even though we’ve been in school for a short time. Along with my part-time job, I have an accelerated course load while having to apply for scholarships to fund my future. And it gets a lot to deal with as I have little time to relax and complete the things that I actually want to do. This has caused me to severely burn out and become less dedicated to my work.

This problem has bothered me so much that I inquired previous Seniors on how they combated this. Former editor, Azzurra Degliuomini, didn’t experience it because she knew she couldn’t afford to. With all of her responsibilities, she knew that,” [allowing] senioritis to kick in, was going to self-destruct [her] Senior year.”

Another graduate, Ashley Paul, experienced it and overcame it by “thinking about [the] end goal and finishing strong to combat the laziness and procrastination that was starting to happen.”

This highlights that mindset is key in combating this problem. Focusing on the fact that there will eventually be freedom is what should sustain students to persevere. Also, having a good support system that wants to succeed is a necessary motivation as well.

So to all Seniors, you’re not alone. There’s always going to be a lot to get done but creating a practical schedule to accomplish all the tasks that you have, can help keep you organized. You don’t need to figure everything out instantly. Eventually, life will go exactly how it needs to so do what you can each day to get what’s necessary done. It’s also imperative that you create time to relax and decompress daily to prevent a colossal burnout.

And when those thoughts of giving up start to creep in, remember to keep going even when it gets tough because there is a light at the end of the tunnel: graduating.