Senioritis. It’s a tale as old as time, yet everybody gets blindsided by it. As someone who has been joking about having senioritis since sophomore year, I never realized just how extreme this could hit me, especially as a student who has always valued her schoolwork and overall success.
This “itis” that many, if not all, seniors experience can be seen in many different ways. In some, it is apparent as soon as school begins. In some, they begin to lose that drive after being accepted into their dream school. In others, it is not apparent until after winter break. For me, I did not have any of these experiences, which is exactly why I think it has all hit me at once as spring break came to an end.
Since a young age, I had a cut and dry plan of how highschool would look for me. I would grind all four years in order to make it to my dream school. I did not have any symptoms of senioritis at the beginning of the school year because I took a fully AP class schedule. I knew I needed to challenge myself in this way in order to get the final push needed to make it to my dream school. I remained on top of my studies and kept my school spirit high, all to make for the best senior year possible.
As winter break came closer, many people began to get acceptances into their top colleges, however I still had a few months to wait. While I did have some notable acceptances rolling in, I still had not received the news that I was banking on. Due to this, while many of my peers began to show symptoms of “the itis”, I began to work 10 times harder. I knew that I needed to continue to study hard, apply for scholarships, and write letters of continued interest all in the hopes of accomplishing this dream that I have been chasing for over 10 years. This mindset continued until spring break approached.
The day was March 21. I beat the “Beginning of Senior Year Senioritis”, I beat the “Post-Winter Break Senioritis”, and I beat the “Pre-Spring Break Senioritis”. Now I could open up the decision to my dream school and everything would be worth it. Upon opening my email, I was rejected. Everything that I had worked so hard for was meaningless. Why did I spend the past 18 years working so hard just to be rejected? The accumulation of all of these feelings at once has led me to the point that I am now at.
While I have now come to terms with the fact that everything happens for a reason, I still have been finding it difficult to find the motivation to complete my assignments. When you feel like all of your work is meaningless, it is very easy to fall victim to Senioritis. I say all of this to say to any current or future seniors that may be in the same position as me, everything will work out. As of April 6, 2025, I am 32 days away from my final day of school 38 days from my graduation. I am also very happy with the university that I will be spending my next 4 years at. Even though it may not feel like it sometimes, everything happens for a reason.
