First semester is finally over. People are relaxing a tad after finals week. Yet, it also means that another annual outbreak of senioritis is just about due. Senioritis, Sean Cunningham (AP US History, AP Psychology and Psychology teacher) said, is the “entitlement of a senior. As they get close to finishing, they feel an opportunity to let down after all the work they’ve done.” Essentially, it’s a decrease in productivity and an increase in procrastination and lack of motivation that typically appears sometime after first semester. However, “senioritis” is not something that can only affect seniors; most people feel something similar to senioritis every year before school ends, students and teachers alike. However, Alice Smithson (Freshman English, Sophomore English, and AP Literature teacher) said, “for seniors, it’s an excuse,” nobody else has a label for it and therefore can’t use it as an excuse.

For the time being, people do not need to worry about senioritis. Second semester has just started, and people are as busy as ever. As, Chris Serica (‘15) said, “there’s still something to lose.” Most people still have an incentive to do well in school and will probably still have that motivation well into second semester. Cunningham said it isn’t until people start reaching certain milestones, such as completing an AP test or receiving admittance notifications from colleges, that they start to lose their motivation. Bethany Tavenner (‘15) has recently received an early acceptance letter from her dream college. She said she is already feeling some form of relaxation from knowing she doesn’t have to worry about whether colleges will accept her or not. Some people don’t have as many milestones as others; Sabra Stephens (‘15) said, “senior year is really laid back” because, for once, she is taking classes that she enjoys. She takes the time to enjoy her last year at AHS, without having to go through numerous milestones that would eventually just wear her out. Thus, she avoids any major effects of senioritis. Either way, most people feel the effects of senioritis, in varying degrees, at some point during the school year.

Regardless of whether they have senioritis or not, people need to motivate themselves so they can look forward to a bright future. While senioritis may be used as an excuse for not getting work done, as Cunningham said, “it’s a choice, not a reality,” and all it does is “set itself up for regret”. Smithson said, “you have a job to do, I think we forget that.” Even if the year is almost over, it is still possible to fail an assignment. Cunningham said, “those last months, that last year, is an opportunity to thrive that you cannot replicate,” and students need to “take full advantage of the moment.”