By Marcala Garland
Staff Writer for The Blue and White Apopka High School Newspaper
Special to The Apopka Voice
Senioritis (Noun) – A crippling disease that strikes high school and college seniors. Side effects include never waking up, living in pajamas, lacking proper studying, Netflix, and possibly death.
Senioritis can strike anyone at any time, and its results can be deadly. It is always important to look for common symptoms for early prevention. If you find yourself doing any of the following, YOU HAVE SENIORITIS.
Snoozing Is Your Friend:
You will often find yourself sleeping in as much as you can. You have to wake up at 5:30 am, but somehow you end up waking up at 5:25. Now while you can get up an extra five minutes early for a head start, you choose to get ten more minutes that are luxurious.
“You would think with practice we’re prone to waking up; it gets easier; it doesn’t. Therefore, you make the most of every second.”
- Romero Garland
Every Day Is Sweats Day:
When you wake up for school, nine times out of ten you over slept and you are late, meaning, you do not have time to get flashy. On top of it, who are you getting flashy for? Right now life is excessively stressful for dating as it is, and no one is attractive anymore because you have been seeing the same people for 4 years now. At this point it’s sweats and a messy bun or sloppy cut, which is if you decide to get out of your pajamas.
“I literally wear leggings and a camo shirt at least four days out of the week; it’s every so often I’d actually put in effort to look semi-decent.”
–Kylie Galiger
Barely Making Class:
One of the major signs of senioritis is missing, or almost missing class. You lie in bed and you think, “What do we have to do today that I can’t just do on my laptop and email in? Do I really have to leave my bed?” You find yourself realizing the problem is not necessarily the classes you take; it’s leaving the coziness of your bed behind to go sit in stiff cold chairs for 6 hours. However, you muster up just enough energy to make the bus not a second before it is too late.
“My classes are easy; making it to school’s the problem.”
- Aislyn Ryan
You Stop Caring About Assignments
In this case, most students are already ahead; or only need about half of a credit to graduate. At that point, the classes for which they used to give a full schedule become study hall for the class you need or nap time. Either way, if you notice you are not turning in assignments the way you used to, and more over, don’t care… you may be sick.
“It feels like I can turn in so many assignments and my grade barely moves. I’d turn in 5 assignments for my grade to go from a 68.8% to a 68.9%.”
- Charniqua Tomlin
Breaks Last Longer Than Studying
This is something even a fifth grader comprehends. When you finally decide to get your life together and decide to look at that study guide or take a crack at that calculus paper, you get tired
Symptoms include breaks lasting longer than studying.
twenty-five minutes in. That’s okay though; it happens to the best of us. The problem starts when you want to take a ten-minute break to rest your mind and end up getting back to your work next week.
“I’m stressed to a point of doing nothing because I have so much to do.”
- Cayla Hellen
Stressing Life after Graduation
It is finally happening: the moment we have all waited for since we were thirteen: adulthood. Well, it’s finally here; but what now? Do you really want to go to college? Maybe you’re considering taking a one-year break before going from one school to another. I mean, college will hold you for the next few years, but then what? You graduate in 3 months, and then you’re on your own. That gives you 3 months to figure out your whole life, or at least the next fifteen to twenty years, and you are lost. There is a brick wall leaning towards you, and you have three months to figure out how to push it the other way. The training wheels are coming off, and you want to be excited, but inside you are trembling.
“My freshman and sophomore year, I really wanted to be a veterinarian. By the time I got to my junior year and found out how long I’d be in school, I started thinking about studying at a trade school and becoming an RNA. Now I’m just strongly considering getting a comfortable spot in the woods and taking it from there.”
- Joshua Mowatt
The Cure
You may feel hopeless at this point, like there is no way out. Luckily for you, I have the cure. All you have to do is GRADUATE! Do your best push these last few months out. You can do it; you have been in the game for fourteen years, so (counting pre-k) what’s a few more months? Throw in some effort, and fight until the finish line. Just get it over with.
“Get out so we can have our spotlight.”
- Marcala Garland; representing the junior class