Students struggle through senioritis

PAyTON zOLcK

For many seniors, the lectures they have listened to for four years start to resemble the “WA WA WA” sounds in Charlie Brown. Their eyes gloss over as they fiddle with their pencil, their thoughts drawing farther away from the classroom. This description is the typical image that comes to mind when the word ‘senioritis’ is used.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, senioritis is an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.

However, is senioritis just a lack of motivation felt by most seniors, or can it signify something else?

According to Carlmont’s Students Offering Support (SOS) coordinator, Shelly Bustamante, the lack of motivation to continue in school is normal.

“If you are like, ‘I’ve got senioritis. I want to be at the beach. I don’t want to be in class.’ You know, that’s normal and typical. You’ve been here for four years, and you’re getting excited about college or whatever you plan to do after you graduate, and your head is in that space,” Bustamante said.

For some seniors, the feelings expressed by Bustamante are something that can be related to. Many find it hard to stay motivated in school as they look towards the future. However, Cooper Perez, a senior, expresses frustration regarding lacking the motivation to do her work.

“I think I have a little bit of senioritis, and it mostly comes out when I’m doing my homework. I find that I procrastinate more and think of school less after the last bell rings for the day than I have in other years. I do find myself frustrated with myself when I decide to put all my reading to the last minute,” Perez said.

Senioritis stands as more than just a mere lack of motivation for some students. But rather a realization of their view of the educational system and their role in it. Senior Anna Burford expressed her lack of motivation being mainly derived from her desire to not give in to the expectations of the “system.”

“I think at the end of the day, it’s a realization that maybe you’re not doing school for the purpose of truly learning. You’re just doing it to climb up the system and do things according to the [educational] system. If there’s a way out of that, then you’re just not really going to care anymore,” Burford said.

Burford regards the lack of motivation often associated with a senior’s second semester can work to reveal to someone what they genuinely care about in such a low level of motivation.

“If you find that you’re still putting your all into certain sports and activities, that’s how you kind of know that you actually do care about them. When you’re losing motivation in almost everything in your life, to be able to be still motivated by something is really livening,” Burford said.

Despite senioritis being seen as a commonality or way to escape the repetition of a high school schedule, it can also have some consequences.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 22 % of colleges revoked an admissions offer in 2009, the most recent year that the group collected data of this sort. Final grades were responsible for the majority of the revocations — 65.3 % — followed by disciplinary information learned about a student and falsified applications.

A disinclination towards school can have consequences for a student’s future, as drops in grades or disciplinary infractions could lead to revoking of admissions and affect someone concerning their educational future.

“I think I overcome senioritis by thinking that I know if I really let myself slip, colleges will see, and I won’t be happy with myself,” Perez said.

Despite affecting someone academically, this state can also have a mental impact. Someone exhibiting the traits of senioritis could be struggling to a deeper level mentally. Bustamante expresses the signs of someone who is struggling mentally from more than the common case of senioritis.

“Someone who’s really struggling would show signs that are more obvious. What you see would be a change in who they were before. If they were outgoing, they’d be more isolated. If they were able to keep a job and do a sport and do all these things, all of a sudden, they’re not. So it’s a change in behavior and mood, and usually, all the signs of depression would be present,” Bustamante said.

Bustamante recommends talking with a trusted person, whether that be a friend or therapist, who can help in dealing with defining the symptoms one is feeling. She expresses talking as the key to addressing these symptoms.

“We’re only as healthy as our secrets and what we put out there. It’s what we don’t talk about that will cause somatic symptoms like headaches, stomach aches, neck pain, things like that, and mental health symptoms. So the talking piece is important, and the person listening will be able to ascertain, you know, by what is being shared if it’s something more serious,” Bustamante said.

Bustamante reveals that mental health symptoms can be attributed to the major stressors of transitioning from this part of one’s life to the next and that all the what-ifs make it a very stressful time.

“The three biggest stressors in life are death, divorce, and moving. Kids are looking at that safety net being pulled from them because life as they know it of being at home and their routine is changing. So that’s a scary thing,” Bustamante said.

When dealing with stress and a lack of motivation, whether derived from a serious mental health issue or a simple case of “senioritis’, Bustamante outlines simple things such as sleep, water, positive laughter, socialization, exercise, meditation, and mindfulness exercises as critical tools in addressing mental health. Finding a space on campus, whether with a club or a group like SOS or drinking a good amount of water that clears the body of cortisol, a stress hormone, can make a significant difference in someone’s mental state.

Senioritis is a familiar feeling felt by many seniors and can be seen in different degrees from person to person. Yet, being aware of its consequences and how its symptoms can be applied in a deeper way to mental health can allow for one to seek the help needed for their specific experience.

NIcOLE cOLEMAN