SATIRE: Signs and symptoms of Senioritis

By Olivia Morrison ‘24

Courtesy of Eva Vu-Stern ‘24, Instagram: @bluest.skys

Are you a second-semester senior? Do you suddenly feel a complete lack of motivation to complete your homework or go to school? If the answer to these questions is “yes”, then you may be falling victim to Senioritis, a disease characterized by a decline in motivation or performance in school.

Senioritis affects millions of students each year. The seniors at Catlin Gabel School (CGS) are no exception. In a survey sent out to the Class of 2024, 100% of the 40 respondents reported that they would consider themselves to be at least somewhat afflicted with Senioritis.

Results of the survey sent out to the CGS Class of 2024

And it’s highly contagious. 51.3% of the respondents said that when their friends begin to exhibit signs of Senioritis, they are more likely to follow suit, and 28.2% reported that they are affected some of the time.

Senioritis occurs during the second semester of a student’s senior year because students are done with the arduous college application process, and many are already admitted to the school of their choice. Those students, whose plans are set in stone, have no goal to continue to work towards, leaving a complete lack of motivation to excel in school.

The disease is not isolated to committed seniors. The number one cause of Senioritis, according to the CGS survey, is plain, old, burnout.

But beware, because Senioritis can bring about serious consequences, like the loss of a scholarship, or even a rescinded acceptance. However, CGS College Counselor, Joanna Frady, explains that it’s more common for a college to request an explanation of your drop in grades.

Sending your explanation to colleges and then waiting for their response can be very stressful. “We can’t predict what that decision is going to be,” Frady said.

Below is an outline of symptoms to look out for, how to diagnose your disease, and how to cope with that diagnosis. Stay safe seniors!

Symptoms and Diagnosis

A lack of motivation for or a sense of apathy towards anything school-related

Skipping class
Not doing homework and class assignments or procrastinating them longer than usual

Constantly using the excuse, “It doesn’t matter I’ll be leaving in a couple of months.”
Caring less about your physical appearance when you are at school
Acceptance of deflated grades and lower academic performance
Shortened attention span

*Senioritis manifests itself in many different ways, and the symptoms are unique to each person*

Of those mentioned above, the symptoms that are most prevalent in the senior class according to the survey are a lack of motivation for school at 82.1%, a higher rate of procrastination at 79.5%, and a shortened attention span at 69.2%.

Senior Kyle Olson stated, “I wouldn't say that I care ‘much less’ about school, but I notice that I go about my daily routine in an almost mindless manner with less vigor for academic pursuits in general.”

Senioritis can vary in severity, with some students only experiencing mild symptoms and others experiencing extreme Senioritis. More than half of the responding seniors, 52.6%, said that they are experiencing moderate Senioritis and 26.3% said their symptoms are severe–and it’s only February!

Determining which stage of Senioritis you are in may also help with your diagnosis and tell how far your case has progressed. You can determine which stage you are in by observing your symptoms and gauging their severity. The stages may look different for each student, but the common signs of each stage are detailed below.

Stages of Senioritis

Stage I: Initial onset of Senioritis– Manifests itself as strategic procrastination and subtle aimlessness. Some students may have been experiencing symptoms from this stage since ninth grade. People in this stage often wonder: “Can I get this task done during the CoCu before class?”

Stage II: Progression– Characterized by superficial engagement with academic obligations, patients may also exhibit tardiness in their classes. This stage is accompanied by doubts regarding the necessity of assignments, they may ask, “Will the teacher notice if I don’t do this assignment? Does it count toward the final grade?”

Stage III: Escalation– This stage is marked by lessened concern regarding academic performance, evidenced by questioning, “How much will my grade drop if I miss this assignment?” Students in this stage may utilize the “What-if” feature on Canvas, which allows people to see how much a poor grade on one assignment may affect their final grade.

Stage IV: Advanced– This stage includes a rationalization and justification of missing classes and assignments. Afflicted individuals may question, “Do I need to go to this class? What is the worst that could happen?”

Senior Nathan Merrill, would consider himself afflicted with Senioritis. “I suffer from a lack of motivation for school, and less motivation to get higher grades,” Merrill stated. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had an unexcused absence and now I have two in one week.”

Merrill expressed that these symptoms have been spurred on not only by the proximity to graduation but by the fact that has already committed to a college. “I told myself, if I do good on this test I’ll get into college, if I do good on this one I’ll get in,” he said. Now that he doesn’t have the goal of getting into college to motivate him, he has needed to look for more internal motivation.

Mickey Del Castillo, a Social Studies teacher at CGS, has experience teaching second-semester seniors afflicted with Senioritis. He compared the second semester to the experience of waiting to get off an airplane while it docks. “People are standing up waiting for the door to open and seniors are in first class so they are the first ones to get off this plane,” said Del Castillo.

“There's always just this glazed look all of you give me,” he added.

Recovery and Prevention

Recovery from Senioritis is possible. When the cure, graduation, is not available, you must take steps to mitigate your symptoms and move toward recovery by following some of the suggestions below. The goal is to get your case of Senioritis to a stage of decline, and eventually, convalescence.

Remind yourself what you’ve been working towards. You’ve put so much work into your first semester, crafting your applications carefully and keeping your grades up. Grades dropping can put you at the risk of the loss of a scholarship or even an acceptance offer.
Set goals for yourself, baby steps are okay! Organize your coursework so that you aren’t left with too much work at one time.
Try to find what you are passionate about—figuring out what interests you can help you get excited about learning again.
Try not to get into the habit in the first place! Once you start, it’s hard to stop the symptoms from progressing.
Take steps to stay away from monotony. Try new things! Keep a good balance between academics and social life so that one does not overpower the other.

Merrill’s Senioritis has driven him to question what school is all about. “Is it something external? Is it something you do just to get the diploma? Is it kind of transactional? Or is it something to do because you have an internal hunger to learn?” he stated.

He continued, “Losing the external motivation has forced me to think of what I really care about learning.” This brings up a key point of recovery. In order to find the motivation to persevere through your symptoms, patients need to think of what they’re learning in a way that will be relevant to them in the future.

For Merrill, that goal is met with his Spanish class. He plans to take a gap year and travel to some Spanish-speaking countries, and his motivation to learn comes from the want not to “look like an idiot.”

Del Castillo described the solution to Senioritis not as a cure, but as a “reconciliation” and that the situation allows seniors to prove themselves to “be a student and not be so concerned about grades.” He continued, “In a weird way, there’s a level of authenticity that Senioritis exposes that isn’t necessarily always present within the reality of the initial years of high school.”

Although Senioritis can be burdensome and at times debilitating, you will get through it. It is important to remember the fact is not that seniors should not be able to relax, they should! The college process is time-consuming and stressful, so it is reasonable for seniors to slow down and take time to be proud of their accomplishments.

After reading this report, do you believe you may be infected with Senioritis? What symptoms do you have? What is your stage progression? Hopefully, you will find some helpful tips to combat your case, and remember, you are not alone!