By Sydney Kightlinger, editor in chief and senioritis crusader
Any senior who tells you that they aren’t suffering from a case of “senioritis” is lying to you and probably themselves. Even the most dedicated and driven students are susceptible to the virus. And it is understandable. Most seniors only have two or three credits keeping them from graduation, so electives are finally prevalent in their schedules.
In theory, senior year is a cakewalk, but in reality, it’s like trying to dance after you’ve been sitting on your legs for three hours. It’s hard because you were lazy.
However, there is a way to combat the sloth!
- Get a Job
It is always tempting to go home after school, curl up on the couch, and watch a little Netflix. But when one episode becomes a season, you are getting into murky territory. If you are watching multiple hours of Netflix without a qualm, you have a touch of senioritis. This is one of the first symptoms.
A little structure to your afternoons makes a world of difference. It gives you a sense of purpose, and some spending money (and, something to add to your resume).
- Assign yourself assignments
Adults love harping on us to keep a planner because they work. “I don’t need to write that down. I will remember to do that tonight” are words frequently followed by missing assignments and dropping GPAs. When seniors utter this cursed phrase, they are earnest, but at 6:30 p.m. they gravitate more towards Netflix than thirty-one calculus problems. Miraculously, the next day as we waltz into class, our memories are jogged, but it is too late. Our GPAs will rest in peace.
Now if we would just write down the assignments to begin with, there is a better chance we won’t bury ourselves so deep in late work that we can’t see our goals anymore.
- Keep your goals in mind
Sports? Check. Community Service? Check. Good Grades? Check.
At times, high school feels like a four-year audition. But when we have checked all the boxes on the college applications and can see the light at the end of the tunnel as the acceptance letters roll in, that is when we are most susceptible to the senioritis virus.
Colleges still care about what you are doing after they say yes. They don’t want bums. A lot of schools require you to send your transcripts every grading period to ensure you are still on track. And there can even be money awarded for not “burning it down” from the day after senior project night to graduation. So keep in mind that while we’ve finally made it to the end, it is really just the beginning of our real lives.
All in all, as seniors we have our entire lives ahead of us. High School is the shortest four years of our lives, even if it seems like the longest right now. We need to be examples for the underclassmen. Our legacy shouldn’t be that we “gave zero cares” as we burned it down. It should be that we worked diligently to the end. That doesn’t mean we can’t watch netflix. We just have to learn moderation because the countdown to adulting is on.