Senioritis (see-nee-or-i-tiss) noun.
1. College Board: Slacking off during spring semester or after being accepted college; can jeopardize future plans
2. Urban Dictionary: A disease mostly affecting high school seniors; symptoms include laziness, excessive absences in school, putting off assignments till the very last minute (more than usual), feeling of hopelessness
Senioritis is a serious disease that plagues the majority of the senior class. It’s so grave that the College Board, the pillar of American education, recognizes it and has a whole page dedicated to keeping seniors on track (they really find ways to occupy us, even when it’s not necessary). They believe that infected seniors will be kicked out from colleges due to their lack of focus and effort. While this is true to some extent, remember that the bare minimum is required to not have your admissions rescinded. To prevent this severe illness, they recommend that seniors commit to a career-focused job and maintain a rigorous course load.
But who really wants to do all of that?
Here is a guide to tackle the tiring disease of senioritis without stretching yourself thin across millions of extracurriculars and AP courses.
Stop pushing yourself too hard
With the school year coming to an end, grades and ranks will soon cease to count. After the third nine weeks, your rank is locked and all that matters is that you’re doing semi-well in your classes. This means you don’t need to invest as much energy in getting all A’s or even (*gasp*) an 85. Don’t put in extra effort by making Canva graphics for your presentations. Don’t stay up till 2 a.m. cramming for your economics test. Go to bed at 10 p.m. instead.
Binge watch
With senior year coming to an end, it’s easy to become nostalgic. Leaving home for college is daunting and many of us want to relive our childhood. Release your inner child. Thanks to the power of technology, we can now watch all of our favorite Disney, Pixar and Marvel shows. “Victorious” is now on Netflix, so you can relive your childhood by watching it. Instead of studying, relax and catch up on the last seasons of “Bojack Horseman” and “The Good Place.” If you suddenly have the urge to become a film enthusiast after the Oscars and Golden Globes, enjoy critically-acclaimed films such as “1917” and “Parasite.”
Take road trips
Have you always wanted to go down to Austin and eat at the original Torchy’s Tacos? Do you want to travel to Waco and take cute Instagram-worthy pictures at Magnolia? Grab a couple of your other infected friends, and take a road trip! Stop by a Buc-ee’s to enjoy some fudge. Then, find a local coffee shop and take pictures of your latte art so you can make your classmates jealous. Make sure to only take a maximum of three road trips so you can qualify for senior exam exemptions!
Go prom dress shopping
April 4 is inching closer. If you haven’t bought your prom dress yet, what are you doing?! If you have senior out, beat the weekend rush by heading to Terry Costa on a weekday. Grab a couple of your girlfriends to accompany you so you can have a second opinion. After trying an assortment of Sherri Hill dresses (that’s the only brand that matters), say yes to the dress that suits you best.
Before you checkout, make sure to check the “Marcus girls prom dresses 2020” Facebook group. You don’t want to get on another girl’s bad side because you wore the same dress! After you’re done buying it, post a picture on the group, claiming your reign over that dress. Don’t forget to apologize for wearing socks in the image, reminding everyone that you will indeed wear heels on the big day.
Walk into school with a drink
The pros of being a senior is that you can buy a drink before school starts. Then, you can walk through the hallways in style, showing off your detailed order of an almond milk caramel macchiato with three shots of espresso and an extra shot of caramel in a plastic cup with a metal straw (because we always have to save the turtles).
If you have senior in, you’re even luckier. You can actually eat breakfast! Enjoy a hearty meal at Seven Mile Café or First Watch. Post a picture of your stack of pancakes coated in syrup and powdered sugar to make your friends jealous of how amazing your senior year is.
Sleep
As your senioritis progresses, your tolerance for a lack of sleep weakens. Whenever someone asks you how you’re doing, your immediate response is probably that you’re tired. Ten years into the future, when someone asks you what your favorite memories from senior year are, you obviously want to tell them that you spent a good portion of it asleep. After coming home from school, take a nap. After eating at Chick-fil-a, take a nap. After skimming through your notes, take a nap. Take pride in your ability to sleep anywhere and everywhere. You deserve it after making it to senior year.
You made it!
Congratulations, you finally made it to graduation! Give it 45 years, and maybe you’ll actually get a chance to relax!
