Senioritis is a change in a student’s academic performance and motivation; it is caused by the ending of their final year of high school. Collin Olson-day, a senior at Mendocino High defines senioritis as follows: “It’s where I think, yeah, I’m pretty much through this, so I might as well kick back and relax; school is going to finish itself.” For some this is the very last year of school they will ever partake in, while for others it is only the beginning of their higher education. Either way, a big change is near and the only thing standing in their way is senioritis. This widespread disease is taking over more and more everyday. In this final stretch of school there has been a senior student absent every day of the week. The combination of the end of the school year and the end of a student’s high school career can be detrimental. The best coping mechanism for senioritis is knowing what exactly is causing you to feel this way and understand the three main phases. Below I have broken it down into three different stages that come into effect as the year progresses.

Stage 1-  This stage begins on your very first day back from summer vacation; the long break full of doing nothing has come to a close, and it’s time to face reality. Your motivation is at its strongest because you have reached the homestretch. As the days progress, your motivation will disappear into nothing and the plague of senioritis will begin to affect the mind and body. Phase one is very mild and many don’t even realize they are suffering. Moments of weakness are a given when deciding potential future options, especially when you are expected to analyze and sum up your life in a few short essays. Often times students spend hours and days trying to think of specific experiences where they came to a turning point in life. This can cause the mind to break down and can take a serious toll on your self worth. Some days drowsiness may take over and prevent you from attending school. These symptoms start off subtly, and slowly become more and more intense. Seniors are still working hard to make themselves stand out as a good competitor in the application process.

Stage 2– You have now turned in your college apps and a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders. Senior Angela Carpenter claims that “ now that my college apps are done, I am done with school.” This is a common misconception for seniors; the school year is only half way over, and yet most students think they can slack off. It is your time to relax a little bit, but don’t let that go to your head. There are still many remaining responsibilities that will keep you from completely losing yourself to senioritis. The only thing stopping you from a long two week vacation is finals. Keeping your head up and finishing strong should be your number one priority, but with your focus slipping away, it seems near impossible. Spending time with your friends and living it up before you say your goodbyes has replaced studying on the priority list. The pressure of making your senior year memorable is weighing heavily on your shoulders.

Stage 3–      Now that you have heard back from all the colleges you applied to, and you have made your decision, your future is temporarily squared away, and it’s your time to celebrate, right? Wrong! This is the most important time to stay on top of things and keep up with your academics. Although getting out of bed has become extremely difficult at this point, you must force yourself to do so. This is the final and most difficult phase; senioritis is in full swing. It has gotten into your head and completely changed the way you perceive things. You no longer see twelve tardies as an issue; it is simply a comedic conspiracy. This is your final year of school which means your main priority is completing all the high school bucket list things you’ve always wanted to do. Senior Emily Madden says that “Instead of avoiding absences, she counts how many more days of school she is able to miss while still being able to graduate.” The great relationship you once had with your teachers is gone and the disappointment has set in. As long as your sweatpants are somewhat clean, getting dressed in the morning is doable.

Although Senioritis is a commonly known disease, Mendocino High School students seem to have been hit especially hard this season. Understanding the stages of senioritis can be beneficial to coping with it, but the only real way to cure this widespread disease is to graduate. Once you have made it to the end of the year with a sufficient GPA, not too many absences, and logged community service hours, you are set. A strong word of advice is to realize that if you allow senioritis to take over completely, then you will get stuck in it’s vicious cycle. After working hard all these years, it is ludicris to throw it all away once you reach the end. As our middle school teacher once said, “You must FLAP; finish like a pro!”