For many students, the end goal of high school is to get into college. After working for years to cultivate a list of extracurricular activities, experiences and good grades, what happens once the acceptance letter gets delivered? Many seniors at this point in the year have already applied for Early Action or Early Decision for their college of choice. As the decisions roll out and students commit to these schools, does “senioritis” set in for their final lap of senior year?
Senioritis, for those who don’t know, is a prevalent condition among high school seniors. The most notable symptom being a drop in motivation in school work and academic career, most commonly occurring in people who have already been accepted and committed to a college. North Atlanta students have steadily begun announcing where they plan to spend their next four years, meaning it is only a matter of time until they catch this dangerous ailment. Senior Luke Yano who has committed to the University of Georgia with a major in business is just one of many seniors in this situation. “Senioritis has officially hit,” said Yano. “I mean I’m still trying for good grades, just not putting as much effort into it as I was before I was accepted into college.”
Early Action and Early Decision are two ways to get into a college ‘early’. Early Action allows students to apply early and receive a decision before the regular deadline, while Early Decision is a binding agreement to attend that college if the student is accepted. Some would argue that a bit of senioritis is good for them, especially for students who have worked themselves to the bone trying to get into these colleges early. However, for others, academic performance weighs less than their performance on the field. Competing in sports is another way for students to commit to college early, with some invitations delivered to them in their Junior year. This was the case for senior Jannah Pierce: Since April of her junior year, Pierce has been committed to playing soccer at Northwestern University. “It’s a relief for me more than anything,” said Pierce. “I was trying to commit to a sport, so in some ways it felt more stressful. Now, it’s just about keeping grades up for my scholarship and having fun playing soccer.”
Although senioritis is typically something people want to avoid, it inevitably reaches everyone no matter how hard they try. That being said, many students at North Atlanta who have applied for college, or are in the process of doing so, have worked incredibly hard to get there. Four years of education is also bound to bring about a lot of challenges in a student’s personal life, social life, and even academic life. Therefore, after being accepted into college, it can be argued that a bit of senioritis might be good for them. “Between all of the Internal Assessments, the Extended Essay, school assignments, and trying to keep my grades up for college, stress was something I’ve felt frequently.” said senior Kendall Lawson, committed to Georgia Tech with a major in Business. “One of the best things about getting into college is the amount of stress it can take off of you.”
So, is “senioritis” the worst thing that can happen to seniors in high school? Maybe, maybe not. The important thing is to find the balance between it all. Keeping up the work ethic while enjoying the rest of high school – it only happens once.
