Senioritis

There is a disease common in senior students. This disease has a wide range of symptoms but the main symptom is a serious lack of motivation to do anything related to school. This disease is called senioritis.

As an underclassman I had always heard about this phenomenon, but could never understand it. Why would seniors, the students so close to graduation, stop caring about school? Why would seniors, the students who had had so much practice as students, not be able to find any motivation? How could you just give up like that? With this wonderment I started my senior year, determined to not let this infection crawl into my system. I would finish strong and push until the end.
Now I am halfway through my senior year. My college applications are done, my grades no longer affect my admission to college, I have all of my graduation requirements completed, and I will be done in less than 6 months! If I survived 12 years of school, 6 months are going to be a breeze. I just need to do enough to pass the rest of my classes and enjoy the last months of my high school career. Oh, so this is senioritis.

Lately I have been struggling to find motivation to stay focused on my schoolwork. While trying to find how I can motivate myself for a little longer, I have thought about how I have been motivated for so many years. Was it the fear of flunking out? Not really. The longing to go to a top-notch college? Not necessarily. I realized that my motivation came solely from the joy of learning. The excitement I get when I figure things out. This passion to be not only a student, but a scholar has kept me eager to finish all of my homework, go to class, and learn.

After realizing where my motivation comes from, I can now more easily push myself back to being the hardworking student. But with so many friends to spend time with and so many lasts, this isn’t the easiest task in the world.