It’s a term many seniors are aware of. It’s something called “senioritis.” Some people may not know what it is. In simple terms, senioritis is a mental state of not really caring anymore about what happens during their senior year of high school. It’s essentially being burnt out of high school. Senioritis doesn’t just affect high school seniors; it can affect seniors in college, too. 

According to an article, it states that senioritis isn’t noticed much by teachers and students until their grades start plummeting. It also states that many seniors struggle with anxiety about what their future holds, causing them to hold back from investing time into academics, which can be used as a way to delay the inevitable. These symptoms include arriving late to class, irritability in the classroom, investing little effort in classwork, lower academic motivation, increased procrastination, lack of self-discipline, and increased preoccupation in social environments. This can happen to all students, even the most studious ones.

There are supposedly ways to fix senioritis. One of these ways is something called Self-Determination Theory, or SDT. Applying SDT to academics suggests that students will become intrinsically motivated and will engage in the classroom. Intrinsic motivation is acting with self-determination and engaging in behaviors that make one feel competent.

Another way to help senioritis is to make the classroom more inviting to seniors. Having something compelling to make them want to learn, not for it to be a burden. Another way is to provide aid to help seniors increase motivation. Let admin and other faculty and staff help you try to finish out strong.

To those graduating this year, you’ll get through it.