“Senioritis” is a term used to describe the sudden drop in motivation that seniors in high school begin to exhibit with the start of the second semester. Deadlines become meaningless, cutting class brim with appeal, and sleep has never felt so good.
The cause of senioritis is evident. After January, most seniors have completed and submitted their college applications. Since admission officers do not consider seniors’ second-semester grades and extracurricular activities in their holistic review process, many students see no point in putting further effort into them, as it will not have any positive influence on their acceptance chances. Additionally, after working diligently all throughout high school, most seniors just want to relax and enjoy the rest of their little time in high school.
But as alluring as “senioritis” seems, students must not fall into this cursed mindset. Even after being accepted into their school of choice, in order for students to secure their spot, they must maintain their GPA at a standard that is required by the college or university; to attend the school they’re accepted to, they must first graduate with all credits and volunteer hours necessary for MHS. Additionally, habits set in place during high school would most likely encroach into adulthood, so eliminating them now would be most beneficial in the long run.
One way administrators can discourage senioritis is to create a school-wide system that would positively reinforce healthy behaviors. There are schools that have implemented different incentive systems to reverse the academic unproductivity infected in seniors. One system in place allows seniors who earn As on their report cards towards the end of the second semester (the last grading period), they would not have to take the final exams for the respective classes. This system not only recognizes the disdain students have for dense, long exams but also utilizes that fact to motivate them to keep up their academic efforts until graduation.
If a school-wide system is too complicated to implement, teachers can take some action as well. One way they could revitalize their students is by staying stern throughout the second semester, especially since a lot of teachers experience burnout alongside their students’ declining efforts. This display of burnout must not happen because students will model the behaviors of their teachers, causing a feedback loop of inactivity and unproductivity in the classroom. To remain fair, teachers could be lenient during seniors’ first semester, such as curving test scores and offering homework passes to ease students’ stress while dealing with college applications but retract these policies at the start of the second semester.
Yet in the end, “senioritis” does not have a single vaccination or cure. It all comes down to the student on whether they will let the mindset take control of their high school career or not. Instead of dropping those AP classes once the second semester hits, maintaining a difficult course load can keep the brain challenged and focused. Students could also find a job to fill in the sudden surplus of free time. To balance stress levels, keeping deadlines of assignments in check and avoiding obsessing over college decisions is key. Still, it is important to enjoy the senior experience, but it must be done so responsibly.