Sick with Senioritis

           Every year, thousands of seniors across the United States contract “senioritis”—if feelings of decreased motivation and vanished discipline plague students during their final year at high school, it is likely after experiencing the college process. During this time, most students take a step back from their extracurricular responsibilities and worry less about putting extensive effort into producing high-quality work for their classes. However, colleges have begun to explicitly outline that they may rescind incoming students’ acceptances in response to a drastic decline in their grades. Thus, senioritis can pose a worrying issue for parents, teachers, and students alike. Nonetheless, how big of a problem does senioritis pose for V Formers? How prevalent is this issue for the students of Lawrenceville?

          Some V Formers have been afflicted less than others. According to Anabel Guerreiro ’24, senioritis has not plagued her mindset yet. She claims that the key to avoiding burnout is engaging yourself in activities that you genuinely love. “I planned out this year knowing that it would be my senior year and I’m doing a lot of things that I like, so the activities I do are not things that I want to slack off on. Music, for example, is really important to me. It helps me stay happy, so of course I stay busy with that. I like a lot of the classes I’m taking, because this year I had a lot of freedom with the classes I chose. Even though they’re hard classes, they’re engaging.” 

          On the other hand, Arya Sreedhar ’24 states “ I’ve experienced buwrnout in the past, but it has never hit me like it has this Winter Term. I think it’s just a very ‘I don’t care mentality’ and completing tasks has become so tough.” To help the symptoms subside, she watches TV and regularly naps to help herself relax. “I’ve been channeling my creative side with music a lot more; that’s probably why you’ve seen me perform so much, like at smeeting, Cabaret, and Amélie!” Sreedhar exclaims. For the incoming V Form class, she advises them to “use [their] time wisely. Plan things out—especially so you don’t backload all your applications for regular decision.” When advising on the college process to current IV Formers, she emphasizes “fully using Winter Break time and working on college applications. Also, don’t push past your limits. Take time to do the things that you like. Most importantly, talk to your friends, and be social! Don’t just keep focusing on your work”. 

          The cure for senioritis, as suggested by the experiences of these students, lies in a balanced approach to the V Form year. Planning and managing time effectively, staying connected with peers for support and engaging in activities that one genuinely enjoys can provide a sense of fulfillment and motivation to get students all the way to graduation.