As the second semester draws nearer and seniors start committing to colleges, a common phenomenon begins: senioritis. This is when a senior has committed to a college and is ready to graduate, making the act of coming to school more difficult each day. Motivation hits an all-time low, with burnout hitting an all-time high. Classes start becoming tiring and tedious, seeming pointless now that the student is locked down for their future.
Although seniors still have just under five months of school left, they may be feeling burnt out and ready to be done. They feel that they’re not learning anything new and wonder what the point in coming is. “I want to be done with the school year already, I didn’t learn anything first semester so there isn’t a reason to show up for the second,” senior Ethan Margolin said.
Other students feel the same way after hearing back from colleges and making the choice to commit to one. At that point, the drive to get top grades in high school suddenly drops and seniors get antsy for graduation. This can especially be felt if students are taking many AP classes to get some last college credit before graduation. The more demanding course load can lead to more burnout and lack of motivation. “Senioritis is in full effect as I’m probably going to be checked out for the rest of the year; the second semester is going to be fun without the burden of school,” senior Will Balian said.
Seniors’ college decisions are posted on Instagram once they commit to a college and fill out the form in the bio of @peaceoutpatriots25: 25 seniors have already done this and may feel done with the school year. “I just got into the University of Virginia and this has made me start trying less in school. I got into where I want to go and don’t really care about school except keeping my grades high enough to make it to the end of the year,” Balian said.
It’s hard to be in the present moment when the outlook of college is on the horizon and students are checked out. It’s easy to coast through when you’re taking easy classes, but for others who are taking AP classes, their year is still a struggle. Classes like AP Physics and AP Calculus are demanding classes that students tend to struggle with. “I just got accepted into the college I want to go to and can coast the rest of the year,” Balian said.
Depending on the college that students got accepted to, second semester grades could matter. According to CollegeVine, “[The way] these grades are weighted can differ from school to school, but slumping significantly can put you at risk for deferred admission or, in extreme cases, rescindment of your offer.” Most of the time, if a student drops one letter grade, it will be fine. But, if a student is having significant grade drops, it could raise concerns for the school that accepted them.
