Many students, specifically seniors, struggle with what is commonly referred to as “senioritis” or “the senior slide.” Students struggling with senioritis often notice a decline in motivation to complete assignments or put in effort, drops in grades, procrastination and even a loss of interest in particular studies. A 2012 survey done by “Omnicent” found that roughly 75% of students admitted to having some form of senioritis. A lot of times this is because of the anxiety of the massive changes that are coming which can feel very paralyzing.
Although senioritis is not good for both students and teachers to deal with, it is a real thing that people experience and not just an excuse. Many seniors feel drained and struggle to find motivation to do schoolwork. OHS senior Reese Glynn said, “I feel so exhausted and I stop trying in school because of it and I think already being accepted into college makes it worse.” This is a very common feeling because of the many things that students, especially seniors, have to juggle. Things like college applications, scholarships, jobs and home lives are just a few things that students have to balance; schoolwork often feels like another chore or less important than the other things that are being worried about.
I feel so exhausted and I stop trying in school because of it and I think already being accepted into college makes it worse.
— Reese Glynn
Struggling with senioritis can be hard. You may not realize, but some of the ways you go about your day may actually be making it worse. Having an unstructured schedule, sleeping all day, staying up all night and not being on top of your daily tasks can truly worsen the feeling of exhaustion.
Many things, however, can be done to help prevent or deal with the symptoms of senioritis to make the last few months of the year feel less like a drag. A very small thing that is actually very helpful is to take your big tasks and break them down into smaller pieces so they seem more achievable. OHS counselor Ms. Sara Craig said, “Setting a solid routine for yourself helps to keep your motivation strong to finish through the year.” Other things like setting goals, taking care of yourself and taking a break can be beneficial to get you out of a funk.
If this is something that students are really struggling with, school counselors and social workers on campus are there to help and have many tools to aid students in getting out of the funk.
