All students get sick during the school year.  Anyone can get any one of the colds, viruses or fevers that plague the CHS hallways.  However, there is a different kind of ailment going around: senioritis.

Senioritis is a condition in which seniors, who are applying to colleges and finishing their fourth round of high school, face decreased motivation to study and perform well in their final year of school.

“Senioritis is what happens to students after 12 years of working hard,” senior Antonia Gaviria said.  “I’m already exhausted from the workload and college apps.”

Although senioritis has been around for many years, many CHS students are still uncertain of the causes and symptoms, let alone how to combat senioritis.  Luckily, CHS, M.D. is here to answer all of those burning questions.

Causes

The causes of senioritis are not unknown.  It usually kicks in at some point during senior year when students decide that college applications are more important than trying to keep up with all their work in high school or after they have been accepted to college and feel that they no longer have to keep up their grades to impress school.  It can also be caused by exhaustion from overworking yourself during the school year.

According to senior Nora Carlblom, senioritis has various causes.

“Everyone gets the mindset they can slack off and be lazy because they don’t have to try anymore since they are a senior now,” Carlblom said.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of senioritis vary.  Some include fatigue, exhaustion and procrastination.  Other signs of senioritis are lack of motivation, slacking in classes and skipping school in addition to not completing homework assignments.

Though senior Natalie Allen’s senioritis is not yet full-blown, she knows when it occurs and knows its symptoms.

“Signs of senioritis are not doing your homework or waiting until the last possible minute to study for a test or quiz,” Allen said.  “Sometimes I find myself wanting to put off my work until a few days before.”

Treatment

It is easier than some students think to combat seniorits.  For example, some students can fight senioritis by simply keeping up with their schoolwork and staying organized and punctual when it comes to assignments.  Students can also prevent its onset staying involved in extracurriculars or different activities at school to preserve their motivation for going to school.

Senior Brendan Fagan likes to “isolate” himself from school by focusing on himself more so than the work and advises seniors to stay sane during these hard times, since this is only the beginning of the year.

“Don’t go too crazy right now,” Fagan said.  “We still have the rest of the year.”

Good luck, Bulldogs.