During a high school or college student’s senior year, something unusual frequently occurs. Even the most exciting graduation rituals become less and less appealing as the excitement of starting a new career or higher educational path overwhelms the routine realities of school life. Senioritis is a term used by students and faculty to describe a general feeling of apathy or malaise. Senioritis can strike at any time during a student’s senior year, but it most commonly occurs in the second semester’s final months. Many seniors have already been accepted to colleges or have a good chance of landing an entry-level job by that time. Only paperwork and ritual stand between a graduating senior and a new chapter in life.
Although senioritis is not a serious medical condition, it does have symptoms that are similar to depression and social withdrawal. Senioritis patients frequently lose interest in school-related activities such as sports, extracurricular clubs, and performance-based classes. Professors can combat senioritis by assigning major projects near the end of the semester or putting on a class play or talent show. The outcomes, on the other hand, can be unpredictable. Students suffering from severe senioritis may simply be biding their time until graduation, which isn’t ideal for instructors.
Senioritis also causes a more casual attitude toward class attendance. It’s not uncommon for graduating seniors to enroll in “Mickey Mouse” courses, which have few requirements and have little impact on a student’s overall grade point average. Others suffering from senioritis may believe that a school’s truancy policy no longer applies to a student who is only a few weeks away from graduation. Failure in a few elective courses due to excessive absenteeism should not be a major concern for a senior who has completed the required courses for a diploma. Some colleges, on the other hand, have used their right to revoke admission offers to students who fail to demonstrate academic discipline during their senior year.
While not every senior suffers from senioritis in its most extreme form, many do look forward to their final days as students. The prospect of not seeing their friends on a regular basis can make some people depressed or nostalgic. Others see the final days of their senior year as an opportunity to settle accounts before moving away from home for college or a career. As students prepare to close one chapter in their lives and begin a new one without the familiar surroundings of a school building to guide them, senioritis can bring up unexpected emotions.