A definition from the greatest source ever, Urban Dictionary: “Junioritis: A condition that strikes high school juniors. Symptoms include frequent headaches, frequent complaints of stress, random hyperventilation, violent mood swings, and a disinterest in schoolwork. Mainly caused by an overdose of AP classes, a very heavy workload, college visits, extracurricular activities, and school sports. In 99.8% of all cases of junioritis, senioritis will result. There is no known cure. Treatments include snow days or any prolonged vacation period.”
Senioritis is a very popular term in high schools, especially around this time of year, as many graduating seniors are itching to finish their high school career and move onto newer horizons. However, Junioritis seems to be just as prevalent at LHS.
With all of the preparation that us juniors do for the admissions process and transition into the college life, the taste of knowing college is just around the corner gets many of us itching to finish school. Yet, we still have more than a year left until college actually becomes a reality.
I think many juniors would agree that senior year doesn’t matter, but it does. Some colleges do look at your seventh semester depending on your grades and behavior. The idea, though, that many seniors unintentionally give to juniors is that your last year in high school is a blow off year that means nothing, which then leads to many juniors believing that after their junior year, they’re finished. This then results in some juniors becoming distracted with thinking about the future more than they should be thinking about the present.
For me, it is at times hard to concentrate on my junior year when there is talk about admissions, colleges, and the future all around me. I know that focusing on the now is of the essence, but how can I do that when the distraction of the future is so prominent? College is key and so is the process of getting there. Junior year is very important and any dip in a grade or class can potentially lead to your future goals becoming less of a reality.
I cannot attest for everyone because not everyone thinks like I do about this, but I can imagine that at least some of you are on the same page as I am. It is hard to juggle the present and the future at the same time. This must be preparation for the real world, right? Junioritis is real and can be overbearing at some points during the end of the school year, but finishing on a strong note is of the utmost of goals.
Don’t let the future interfere with the present. It seems kind of ironic because usually the present can hurt the future… but for us juniors, we just need to lower our heads and keep on going.
I’m not suggesting that you just completely throw the future out the window because it is going to be on the table sooner rather than later. From time to time, focus on it for a little, though. It is there for you when you need to think of it. Come senior year, the same thing goes. Senioritis is even more prevalent and affects even more students. Just remind yourself, we are nearly three quarters of the way to the high school finish line and with determination, we will prevail this awful disease.
If you would like to read a senioritis perspective, click here!
