You wake up on a cold March morning after your alarm goes off.  Something isn’t quite right…you feel tired, cranky, and unmotivated. So, you pull the covers back over your head and go back to sleep.  When you wake again, you panic and realize you’re late for school, and you don’t feel all that great anyway, so you’re just going to tell your mom/dad that you think you’re coming down with something and want to stay home for the day.  Mom takes one look at you and knows exactly what she’s dealing with: SENIORITIS.

Senioritis is a sneaky little condition that creeps in during the spring months of Senior year of high school.

Common symptoms

• Apathy – What was once a priority, is now just another thing that needs your attention. You don’t care as much about your classes, homework, or grades.  You’re not trying as hard in track practice.  You think that the amount of effort you’ve been putting in doesn’t matter as much anymore.
• Laziness – The outfit you used to painstakingly plan every morning has been replaced with sweat pants and hoodies, that may or may not get washed every other day. You’re sleeping later and later every day, and showing up late to classes.  You’re forgetting your practice uniform, but this time you’re not calling Mom to drive over and bring it to you.
• Boredom – You’re on your phone A LOT watching videos and doing TikToks versus doing something constructive and worthwhile. You’re asking your mom is she wants to play UNO with you because you have nothing else to do.  The dog learns a new trick because you’re spending so much time training her.

Probable causes

• Anticipation – College is so much more important than high school…I’ve already been accepted, what more is there to do?
• Fear/Denial – An unknown future can be scary. If you feel like you’re in denial about high school ending, you may not want to start creating your path to college until it’s too late.
• Achievement – If you’ve been focusing on the ONE thing that’s most important to you (athletic scholarship, the Debate team, getting an A+ in AP Chemistry), you could max out your energy and leave nothing left in the tank for other important things.

Proven remedies

Focus on Your Senior Experience — This is your LAST YEAR of high school!  Whatever happens next will be a totally new experience; whether it is entering the workforce or earning a college degree. Take this time to revel in the experience of being a senior and using all the lessons you’ve learned to your advantage in your final year.

Don’t Obsess Over College — The admissions process can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be.  Create a timeline and organize to-do lists according to deadlines.  When you have a firm grip on what you need to accomplish, it will make it less stressful so that you don’t ruin your senior experience with stress.

Reward Yourself – Pay attention to all that you’ve done and give yourself some credit!  If you take your own accomplishments for granted, you won’t be able to truly enjoy your college journey and all its successes.

Necessary steps

While you can’t take an ibuprofen to cure Senioritis, you can most definitely take the necessary steps to work through some of those feelings and have fun with the college planning process.  One step at a time, seniors!