sen·ior·i·tis / ,sēnyəˈrītis/

noun humorous

a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance.

“I try not to let my grades suffer from my senioritis”

We’ve all heard it before: senioritis. Many parents and teachers insist it doesn’t exist, and that seniors have become lazy. But, there is no doubt that senioritis is a bona fide problem. I feel it. My senior contemporaries feel it. What is happening to us, why are we suddenly less motivated to do our schoolwork?

Senior Jen Koscinski explains, “Every year in high school I have looked forward to being a senior, but it’s not all its cut out to be. Balancing taking rigorous classes, working a part time job, balancing a social life had left me with a big case of senioritis. Now that I’m getting acceptance letters, all I want to do is go to college. Senioritis is real. So close, but so far away. The future is just within my grasp, but I can’t have it yet.”

I know exactly what I want to do with my life, including what I will study in college. I am highly motivated when it comes to my passions. It so happens that my passions barely overlap with the classes I take in school. The class I was most excited to take was cancelled, so now I have to learn it independently, sitting in front of a computer screen all period. This is not an uncommon story. Many seniors have found what they are interested in, and want to pursue it, but there are no classes that will quench their thirst for knowledge.

Senior Emma Roberts relates, “Going into my senior year I was disappointed our school does not offer any courses on Art History, which is what I want to study in college. I do not currently have the chance to learn about what I am most passionate. Knowing there will be opportunities to study my greatest interest in college makes me ready to move on to the next stage of my education.”

After more than three years at Bel Air High School, it can get a little boring. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have class and just play games all day. I love a challenge, but I have no interest in challenging myself in Chemistry when I want to work in government. I still remember crying over the “C” I got in Chemistry my junior year, despite all those long nights studying, and every homework assignment completed. It’s like sinking into the sea with nothing to grasp to pull you back up. This never motivated me to work harder, I just came to realize that it was time to stop torturing myself with a subject that meant nothing to me. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing bright, hardworking students that have lost their excitement to learn. What is the point in coming to school when you’re only interested in 0-2 classes?

The days get longer for me, and I feel the energy and vigor evaporate as we get further into the school year.

This has left Senior Sarah Stephens saying, “I honestly just don’t care at all anymore.”

A great deal of seniors are tapping their fingers, waiting to head off to college. They want to meet people that care about what they care about. They want to study a subject that they love to learn about, something they cannot get enough of. I’ve heard so many times, “I love to learn, I love education, but I don’t feel that anymore.”

The passion to learn should grow as we grow older. Unfortunately, it is often just the opposite in American schools. The rise of AP and standardized testing doesn’t help either. A “teaching for the test” style in classrooms creates a rigid schedule, and gives less creativity for teachers to make their lessons interesting for students. Not many days go by in an AP class when you don’t hear, “on the test, it will be like this.”

The direst consequence of senioritis is dropping out of school, which we all know, doesn’t benefit anyone.

So, how can we fix this?

Chairman of the President’s Panel of Youth, James Coleman, offers some solutions to the problem of senioritis. He suggests introducing the “Senior Semester” in high schools across the country. This entails programs that allow and encourage seniors to, “spend time outside of the school or attend seminars in their specific interests.” This is a great idea. Offering compelling and in-depth educational opportunities will motivate and excite senior students to get out of bed in the morning. Expanding the variety of classes may help, too. Students who have an affinity for subjects like Fashion, Real Estate, Japanese, Military Science, Mechanics, Religion, and Social Work may be left out of the picture. Or, instead, we can offer students interested in other subject areas connections with people in their field of choice.

The common conception that senioritis is only for lazy students who don’t want to do work is a fallacy. Countless unique and hardworking seniors are exhausted from investing their time into required classes that aren’t a fit for them. But, we can change this, and make senior year the most educationally enriching part of high school.