The Season Begins

I've always wondered as an underclassman when Senioritis truly begins to kick in. I think I'm beginning to discover that answer now, as many of my friends have already sent their college applications in and first quarter just drew to an end. I will say that my friends who have already found out about college acceptances have displayed a greater lack of motivation in school than friends who are still applying to college.

In my school there are mandatory study halls two days of the week that the entire school is required to go to, except for seniors who have completed their first quarter. I heard someone say in the senior lounge just the other day, "wow the end of J-Block is going to be the death of my grades."

Not to mention, in the next three weeks, we will only be attending eight and a half days of real school. We have off for Parent Teacher Conferences, Thanksgiving Break, our annual Mayfield Market, etc. Then it is Christmastime and even more college acceptance letters will be pouring in. We are now entering a season in school were we really do not go to school so teachers will have difficulty with scheduling while students, especially seniors, will lose motivation to succeed.

Clearly, there is not just one factor causing the transformation of a healthy senior to one infected with Senioritis, but I have a funny feeling that as the next couple of months unfold there will be an outbreak in our school.

The Causes

I've done some research into exploring the causes of Senioritis and perhaps this will give all you students struggling with or worried about getting the disease some insight to the problem. I think the common myth behind seniors' tendency to slack off is a lack of care or a change of attitude. I want to argue otherwise. Everyone says junior year is the toughest but my friends and I have noticed that first quarter senior year has been by far the most stressful. We are in the most advanced classes as we have ever been in before, and yet it is as if we are taking an extra class on top of it all with the college work we are doing. Overwork may seem like illegitimate excuse especially in the eyes of parents, but they must understand that they experienced a completely different school atmosphere than is present today. The stressful conditions under which students now are forced to learn in are causing an opposite effect as to what was intended. School educators who advocate intense learning environments want their students to be effective and hard-working, yet I believe I am discovering enough evidence to suggest that under this pressure students respond by doing the exact opposite. 
This is just a theory, and I will further study its validity as I progress through senior year. But as for now, one thing is for sure: I certainly feel like the student on the left, overworked but still motivated. Hopefully, I do not turn into the figure on the right, but who knows what the results might be. Some say Senioritis is inevitable, but hopefully I will not allow the first quarter stress to get the best of me.

Pilot Post

We have all heard of senioritis, that deadly disease that contaminates the mentality and motivation of millions of seniors in high school, leaving them inherently lazy with no direction or purpose in life. I am here to explore this disease—it’s causes, contagious elements, effects, and most importantly to answer the question: is senioritis truly avoidable? Throughout the year I will be employing my own techniques to keep healthy, and will evaluate their success. Keep in mind, I am a senior who is just as susceptible to this disease as any other, and thus my struggles and contact with the disease will be frequent and hopefully my tactics to avoid the disease will be strong enough to endure the remainder of my high school career with a strong sense of desire to succeed.