by Haley Vickers and Lauren Kenney |

Seniors graduate in about three months and will set off into the world to start their lives. These last three months can be the most stressful, but exciting time of the school year for seniors. Graduation parties are being planned, preparation for college has begun and seniors cannot wait to walk across the stage and grab their diploma.  But, before that moment, senioritis may strike.

Even though seniors are so close to finishing, many have become unmotivated, lazy and start to just not care anymore. The only known cure is graduation and planning for the future.

“Senioritis to me is just feeling unmotivated and my mind often drifts to graduation and the future instead of focusing on my work,” senior Randi Richardson said.

“I started to have senioritis at the end of first semester, but this semester, I really have senioritis. I will have it even worse in April and in May, it will be really bad,” senior Madison Allshouse said.

Many juniors throughout the school claim they have experienced symptoms of senioritis, also. Although, through the seniors’ eyes, juniors cannot experience this until they are actually seniors next year.

“I think juniors can have senioritis, but I wouldn’t call it that. The closer students get to the end, they just get burnt out,” counselor Melanie Prince said. “They see their friends leaving and they see how close they are to the end and they just want to be done. They just start shutting down.”

By now, some students already know where they are going to college, which makes senioritis much worse.  According to the powerpoint shown to seniors in  Advisory, colleges look at the courses taken student’s senior year, along with the course level and credit hours to determine admissions.  It also includes how colleges have the right to deny acceptance if student’s senior grades drop.

“I’m going to UCM to major in business and to play football. The only way I keep motivated is by thinking about my goals and aspirations in life after school,” senior Matthew Zombo said. “My grades have actually improved this year because of my motivation, but it’s just more of a hassle for me.”

Students sometimes have their future completely planned out, but are still struggling with the rest of their senior year.

“I’m looking at going to Missouri Southern for soccer and I plan to land a career working with younger kids,” senior Alexa Wright said. “I’m just ready to start the next chapter of my life.  On a scale of one to 10, I am an 11.”

It is a struggle for every student in the school to stay motivated and keep up with the heavy load of work.

“I’m late every day for first hour because getting up is not easy, especially when you know it’s your last year and you’re so close to being done,” Wright said. “I’m just ready to start the next chapter of my life.”

As students come to the end of the high school journey, it is easy to get off track when the next chapter of life is right around the corner. Seniors are just a few months away and all this hard work will be paid off.

“My best advice would be for each student to remind themselves how far they have come,” Prince said. “At this point for the seniors, you have been at this for 12 and a half years and you have a little over three months left. Just put it into perspective and push through the three months.”

This year, 26 students graduated at semester. The students that are still attending school will have to persevere through the rest of the school year.

“My grades haven’t really been affected by senioritis, but I do find it harder to do my work due to lack of focus,” Richardson said. “I hope my senioritis doesn’t continue next year, but it probably will.”

Students have been noticing their progress in classes is dropping due to their senioritis and motivation.

“My grades have definitely been affected by my lack of focus and the homework that I don’t do,” senior Liam McCarrol said.

Even though many seniors experience some symptoms of senioritis, some haven’t felt anything and are finishing strong.

“I don’t have senioritis at all.  I’m usually in EBLC all day working with little kids so that takes up most of my time,” senior Macayla Witt said. “I haven’t decided where I want to go to college yet but, I am excited for it along with the freedom you get.”

Seniors cannot wait for graduation and to move forward with their lives, but there is just a little bit longer to go. Seniors just need to keep going and stay motivated, and try to not let the contagious senioritis get to them and affect their last months as a senior.