Senioritis (Brylee)

10/10/2024

Procrastination can be the death of many of us, especially since we are seniors. I feel like many of us have been struck with the virus deadly to graduating students, Senioritis. I’m wondering what you guys think about Senioritis? Many think it to be fake; an excuse, others think it’s the sickening virus of being overworked that usually strikes the senior class. What are your thoughts, do you think we are just over it all, wishing to be finally done after all these years, or do you think we are being overworked and overstimulated, or is it something completely different?

32 Comments

Mariah

10/12/2024 05:03:37 pm

Since I am a senior, I know my answer is definitely biased but I do believe it's a real thing. For me, I believe I have it because I have been applying to colleges and started finding scholarships. I have started to focus on my future and really figure out what I want to do, which makes me feel like it's pointless to be focused on my high school studies. I think I have been overworked the last four years for sure, and I think that contributes to it as well. I think seniors just reach the point where all motivation is gone and our priority becomes having fun with our friends before we leave next year and we won't get to do that again, I now that's what I focus on now. I definitely don't think senioritis is an excuse or made up thing because almost every single student in every graduating class every year experiences this, that's why we have a word for it. Maybe we do use it as an excuse occasionally, but I do think we all just genuinely feel like we are ready to move on with our lives and have a good time with our friends while it lasts.

Briella Pace

10/13/2024 05:20:56 pm

Oooo yes!!!! I hadn’t even considered how big a factor burn out could be. It’s not talked about how 4 years of school can be very exhausting, 7 classes a day with different demands, particularly at the age of 14-18 where we need more sleep and everyone’s hormones are out of whack making us more reactive and stressed can all be very overwhelming. Especially as expectations from parents and collages increase. By all means school being readily available is far more advantageous then consequential, but by the end it makes sense why so many come to become tired of it.

Chanci Phillips

10/13/2024 06:40:50 pm

I didn’t believe the people when they told me that high school goes by fast but I was sure wrong. Now we are deciding what to do with the rest of our lives while, applying for colleges and scholarships. It feels like we have come full circle, from little kids dreaming of the future to teenagers/adults planning out the future and this isn’t play pretend.

Deanda Lamping

10/13/2024 07:24:36 pm

I totally agree its terrifying yet fun to experience. Its weird to finally be in the position that we have all wondered about for years. Now that its here it doesn't feel real. The applying for college and scholarships are the part that really makes this the reality. I wish the best for everyones future!

Megan a

10/13/2024 08:38:42 pm

I totally agree with you!

Emylee Perkins

10/13/2024 06:43:59 pm

I so agree with you that it's crucial to spend time with those we care about, and I would even argue that it breaks down barriers people have had before. I think that most people realize they're leaving the pond and instead of focusing on building a life in your high school like you do as an underclassman, people see that we're all similar and need to treat each other kindly.

Nicolas Sessions

10/13/2024 06:49:24 pm

Looking towards the future as a little kid to now is a crazy switch honestly. Now I would give almost anything to be a kid again doing all my younger self things. It's crazy that we're almost out of here. I agree maybe we're just savoring the youth we've still got while leaving our responsibilities for later.

Brylee Ganske

10/20/2024 09:07:53 pm

I agree, I have been wanting to hang out with my friends and try to enjoy high school a lot more than I have in the past because I don't know what directions any of my friends will decide to go in, and I'm pretty sure many won't go down the same plan that I am considering.

Briella Pace

10/13/2024 05:12:06 pm

I think senioritis as an actual symptom is absolutely not real, but rather a common response to a fear of failure. Senior year is a bridge from childhood to adulthood, that’s a huge and terrifying step. Procrastination has less to do with self-control and more with an underlying problem we often don’t recognize- insecurity, resentment, frustration, boredom, self doubt, and the list goes on and on. I think seniors would stop having so much senioritis when these issues are addressed and remedied, perhaps by a stronger form of community, less of a perfectionist mentality, a less packed schedule, and less pressure from friends, family, and teachers. You’d be surprised what people actually want to accomplish when there is no stigma and pressure attached. Being allowed to be mediocre gives someone the room to want and work towards greatness.

Mariah

10/13/2024 05:53:02 pm

I think your insight on this is really good. I agree that seniortitis is a product of all those things that you named -- boredom, frustration, etc. Seniors are definitely feeling all of these emotions big time right now, and it's contributing a lot to our motivation for work. I agree with you that if we focused on helping with some of these feelings, we would want to strive for more. Unfortunately, most people (adults and younger students alike) are going to continue to add to our pressure instead of help us find a way through it. Because of this, senior year is a big time to lean on our peers to be our main support system. I also think this is why graduating classes get so close to each other their last year, because we are the only people who really understand what we are currently going through.

Daniel Davidson

10/13/2024 06:59:41 pm

Additionally, I also just think we’re, like, just done. We are weary of our setting, on edge with our company, and tired of managing the busy life of an involved high school student. Tired with all nighters and expectations- feeling like our efforts aren’t good enough. So, people, after years getting to this point, are growing ready to move on. And maybe they really aren’t “ready” emotional muturity wise, but are mentally desperate for a change of scene and a relief from stress.

Daniel Davidson

10/13/2024 06:45:49 pm

That’s such an interesting thought. Take away the pressure to perform, and maybe people will perform better. Obviously, that won’t be true in all instances. But isn’t it true that a person will achieve the most incredible of feats when driven internally, by deepest motions of will. Maybe easing some of the pressure could give students the opportunity to decide for themselves if they truly want what they are working towards, and if so, give them the chance to redouble their efforts, now backed with the acknowledgment that they ‘want’ this. Maybe it would only work for some, still it’s a thought I hadn’t seriously entertained.

Emylee Perkins

10/13/2024 06:49:35 pm

I like the way you demonstrated different aspects behind the threat of Senioritis; concepts such as doubt, boredom, and insecurity. Everyone is super confused at this point in their lives and not a lot of people know what to do as a career in their futures. Apart from that everyone also has different personalities - some people are just beginning to realize the importance of their future, some are trying to build or maintain a relationship, and still others are trying to have as much fun as possible and just discover who they are.

Kennedi

10/13/2024 07:31:06 pm

I agree the procrastination isn’t what might think it is. I was told
Once that procrastination exists, because we do not have any enthusiasm to work on or do something that we don’t think will benefit us. How do we change our mindset and is it
possible to do so? I believe so.

Brylee Ganske

10/20/2024 09:15:31 pm

You got really deep with this response, and I honestly hadn't figured yet that senior year is a bridge from childhood and adulthood and it 100% freaked me out. I'm not sure why but the thought of having to go into the world and having to worry about bills and taxes. Guess it would've had to happen eventually.

Chanci Phillips

10/13/2024 06:35:59 pm

Personally, I think senioritis is a real thing that affects us all individually different and stress can definitely add to it. We have all experienced stress and procrastination during school, especially as we get older but I also think this is a part of growing up. That is what school is for, getting us ready to live in this big world all alone. I don’t think it is just senioritis, that messes with our mentality, it’s the combination of a few things like stress, enjoying our last years of high school, and being excited to finally move on. It might just be me, but I am hanging onto every detail of senior year because its my last year here and I am also so excited for a new beginning.

Emylee Perkins

10/13/2024 06:41:14 pm

Everyone can be exhausted, from students to the working class. Senior year is whatever you make it - you might choose to have more or fewer classes. I personally am more stressed out because this is our last year here and I want to make it memorable and do everything we dream of doing. Knowing this and participating in activities as well as preparing for the future to come is a lot to handle. The only thing keeping me from Senioritis right now is trying to put anything from the past aside and connect with lots of people all over the school. I do think that Senioritis can be real for some people, but it depends on who you are and what you're being faced with. I'm just trying to live with no regrets and stay with people who care about me.

Mariah

10/13/2024 06:58:30 pm

I like what you said, and I know I'm definitely stressing myself out because I want to make the most of my last year here. I want to become better friends with other people in our grade, attend every single event that I can, and try to leave "my mark" on the school, meanwhile I'm also trying to keep my grades up, apply for colleges, and figure out my future. It's all very draining and I think it's definitely not very good that all my wants for senior year are causing me to be stressed.

Chanci Phillips

10/13/2024 06:58:56 pm

I agree that senioritis depends on the person and the trials that they go through. It is hard not to get sentimental knowing that everyday passed, is our last in high school. Especially, with senior nights just starting and sports playing their last home games ever, it just makes reality sink in.

Megan

10/13/2024 08:37:44 pm

I also agree with you about feeling like senior year isn’t as great as they tell us because of the stress of homework and after school activities

Nicolas Sessions

10/13/2024 06:45:51 pm

I honestly think that this procrastination or unwillingness to do anything academics is based on mindset and can happen at any age. I feel though that an able-bodied person can run long distances without getting tired until they grow old and can no longer do those things; we are the same as freshmen compared to seniors. Maybe we're just tired after three previous years of studies; we used up our energy. I also think it could be that we, now being the top dawgs, could have made a switch in our brains to not worry about these things as much as we used to. This in my example is that, besides a few classes, I've gotten all my hardest classes done so without hard to understand work and easier classes and assignments it's easier to procrastinate them.

Nicolas Sessions

10/13/2024 06:51:56 pm

But my good sir, how does this affect younger students beside seniors?

Nicolas Sessions

10/13/2024 06:56:39 pm

Great question! I was just thinking about how badly I have procrastinated throughout high school. I feel like procrastination has been a problem all along and that mindset continued to senior year. However, as a senior, I feel that the perception of the stress is different from the other grades, it's like I worry less than the previous years, I' m not sure why though.

Kennedi

10/13/2024 07:35:11 pm

Is it the fear of not succeeding that we procrastinate? I believe there are many different way that we delay ourselves. And it’s true, some students, myself included, believe that you can have a sort of Senioritis before you are even a Senior. It makes me questions whether it is the individual or the schools fault for this reason. Maybe it is even family that we have this feeling of needing to get out.

Daniel Davidson

10/13/2024 06:55:56 pm

What a great topic! I feel there are at lot at factors at work here, and I may not even be able to address all of them. The most clear ones to be are, yes, ‘burnout’- we are so exhausted through sports seasons and dealing with high expectation workloads- this is something that occurs yearly for me. Also, a bit of deer in the headlights situation. It’s not even necessarily that we are unable to do all the work given us, or even that we don’t want to, WE MAY DESPERATELY WANT TO, but some other force compels us to, paralyzed, watch our precious work time slip by and our grades drop. What is this self-sabotaging mechanism? Frankly, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem so simple as procrastination. More like a deep physical response rejecting the work. Nearly like a need we need to overcome. I know I have been crippled by this force, whatever it is, many times before already acedemically- and see the roots of it taking hold again this year. It of course, our job to do our best to overcome such obstacles. It would be nice, though, if I could determine the source of this compelling work repulsion. It is something I still have to discover about myself.

Nicolas Sessions

10/13/2024 06:59:28 pm

I like your look at it. I feel that procrastination simply isn't the only factor either. The use of the deer and head lights made me think of myself a bit. It does feel like even though I want to get my work done I just sit and stare off and don't do it.

Megan

10/13/2024 08:36:14 pm

Yes I agree with your point and I think it’s everyone can relate to at some points during the year.

Deanda Lamping

10/13/2024 07:19:25 pm

I think senioritis is a totally real thing, I've experienced it just not this year. Sophomore and Junior year hit hard. I saw my friends graduating and celebrating their freedom and new journeys that I felt the need to be graduating with them. It was overwhelming and all I could think about. I think since I've already experienced this it is taking a lot longer to hit me this year. The anticipation of graduating is more surreal than anything. I think the 'overworked' factor is not far fetched, we have all been overworked and under "payed" or under graded. The reward that we have all been dreaming of is finally at arms reach and is more enticing than ever. And that is so so exciting.

Megan Aiello

10/13/2024 08:34:43 pm

Yes, I totally agree with you, fore me junior year hit pretty hard too.

Josie Larsen

10/13/2024 07:26:47 pm

I think senioritis is definitely a real thing and it can be a mix of wanting to be done with everything and the stress of school, work, etc. I think the majority of us are ready to move on with our lives and want to spend the rest of our year doing stuff with friends, etc.

Kennedi

10/13/2024 07:28:44 pm

Some teachers say that senioritis isn’t real, that we make it up, we’re just lazy. I believe that as a senior in high school, it does exist. Being stuck in a high school for years is something that doesn’t appeal too many. With the added process of senior project, it tends to feel unbearable and impossible. Though I do agree that we can and are able to complete bigger projects, it adds to the stress of other school work. Many seniors are trying to finish up their other credits and feel overstimulated with all the work in front of them. One dangerous thing that we tend to rely on is procrastination, which is of no fault, but our own. Kids are ready to move out of their houses and start life for themselves. The school year tends to feel longer, therefore adding stress to the students. I do not think we should use senioritis as an excuse to not work, but I do think that This should be assigned to teachers that we are ready to move on and we all need to have patience with each other.

Megan Aiello

10/13/2024 08:33:35 pm

I think seniorits is a real thing because as seniors I think we often get tired of having the same schedule every day leading us not being motivated. I think being overworked is an issue to, because seniors tend to only prioritize the classes that are required rather than electives. Because of these reasons I believe that seniors like our class get that feeling and they act upon themselves to not worry about the stress so much.

Senioritis (Brylee)

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