Coronavirus intensifies senioritis

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Senioritis is a common affliction among students nearing the end of their high school career. It often presents itself in a lack of motivation and a decline in performance. Coming to terms with the fact that their last year of high school is upon them can be stressful for seniors.
Many students are experiencing senioritis in different ways due to the additional stress from the recent coronavirus outbreak. For instance, since the start of online classes, some students feel as though they have lost interest in their classes.
“I was doing well when I was showing up to school every day because I had a schedule. I was able to get assignments done. But now with the online learning, most tasks are repetitive and not interesting,” senior Evan Dinneen said. “Some of my teachers have helped me by giving out physical assignments, but they still take a lot of time. Plus now I have more college things to worry about, [as well as] scholarships.”
Realizing that the school year was not going to end the way everyone expected proved to take a toll on some students’ motivation to finish out the school year.
“Spring break was surreal, as I was supposed to go to Disney World, then that got canceled. Then everything got canceled. I slowly started to get less motivated, until school started up again, then I was not motivated [at all],” senior Joshua Kennell said.
Due to important events being canceled, such as prom and graduation, the uncertainty of the future is another stress factor that can contribute to senioritis.
“I am worried that I won’t be able to live on campus or attend all of the events I would like to due to number capacities,” senior Becca Meyer said. “My orientation for college has moved online so I am also worried about not knowing as many people when I get there.”
There are countless ways to try and combat senioritis, but not every method works for everyone. For some students, that means trying not to think about it, and just going with the flow, while for others it may be creating a strict schedule and sticking to it.
“I try to create a routine and take short breaks to keep me focused while I am working,” senior Jaden Anton said. “Knowing I only have a week and a half left has been motivating me to finish out the year the best I can. Also, the constant reminder that this is helping me prepare for college next year is motivating.”