March 15 marks the end of quarter three and while for most of us that means spring break, for seniors it means the end of high school is near. Everyone knows that March is that lovely time of the year when the heat begins to rise, the flowers begin to bloom, and…senioritis fully sets in.

For those who don’t know, senioritis is a condition in which seniors in either high school or college begin to experience symptoms such as: insomnia, anxiety, lack of motivation, oversleeping and general boredom. It’s usually self-diagnosed but it can also be diagnosed once a couple of bad test grades or missing assignments hit your PowerSchool. It typically affects 10 in 10 seniors every year, around the time that students begin to return from spring break, but numbers may be skewed.

Senior Abby Plummer expressed the sentiments of many of her fellow graduating classmates and said, “The best way I can describe it is a push to the finish line. Thankfully, I have something to keep me involved because I have to finish getting my NHS points but at this point, I’m just ready to leave.” She continued “The senioritis has definitely begun to set in especially with all the virtual days that we have had lately.”

The final quarter for most seniors is almost dreadful in a way because you are so close, yet so far. Many seniors have already chosen a college and some are even beginning to buy things they’ll need. Now this creates the feeling that you’re finally done, but in reality you still have about two and a half full months left. 

The other internal dilemma that most seniors face is wanting to leave but not necessarily being ready quite yet. As a freshman, you hear the same thing over and over again. “These will be the best four years of your life.”  Whether or not it lives up to the hype depends on the person however, no matter what kind of experience you had, most seniors find it bittersweet when they finally have to turn their tassels because they know they are going to see some people for the final time. They are finally moving out and becoming adults. 

Personally, I think it’s just hard to grow up. There is so much pressure from our parents to go to college and become a doctor but not everyone is made for that. Despite the WebMDesque definition of senioritis that I, of course, came up with, I would make a terrible doctor as I have a tendency to suffer from a fragile constitution. And trust me when I say that I got some scoffs when I said I was going to college for fashion merchandising and not to become a lawyer like I had told my family I wanted to as a kid (which was a lie even back then, sorry mom).

 It’s just for the first time, students have to make life altering, adult decisions about their futures and it’s stressful and hard. But like I said, it’s bittersweet because there are so many new adventures to look forward to. For now, I guess the senior class just has to try and remember that the future is bright and senioritis is, in fact, a curable condition.