Fiona's Blog: Five Ways to Beat Senioritis
According to Urban Dictionary, senioritis is: “A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation.”As someone currently in the throes of the second half of my senior year, I am surrounded by students exhibiting the aforementioned symptoms. College apps are in, kids are starting to hear back from schools, SATs are over, and the workload has generally let up. There’s napping during class, refusal to do homework, and widespread denial about when school actually starts.It’s really only a matter of time before people start taking self-proclaimed long weekends. I genuinely pity our teachers.While this may sound incredibly relaxing for us seniors, I learned that senioritis in and of itself really is not that fulfilling. I finished all my work and college apps right before my winter break, so my opportunity for “itis” emerged in mid-December. After hauling booty all fall to get my work done (two months of mononucleosis were a lovely addition to the pressure), I was excited to spend my winter break watching a lot of instant Netflix, eating holiday leftovers, and catching up on my sorely missed sleep. This I did happily for a while, but upon returning to school, I found myself in a bit of a rut.
No one in my classes was trying particularly hard, I had a lot of free time and it was January (which might as well be called doldrums-uary, am I right?). It was at this point that I came to the conclusion that relaxing is only satisfying to an extent. My brain began to crave intellectual stimulation. I guess it was also at this point that I realized that the push to do well in high school to get into a good college gives many kids the idea that that’s the only reason to strive in school.
As I’ve realized, this could not be more false. I’ve always enjoyed my schoolwork and never felt like I was doing it simply to raise my GPA, but now that the pressure’s lifted, I’ve realized even more the benefits, of, well, learning. I’ve also come to find my groove in this alien new world of free time, and I have five suggestions for those of you facing the big itis.1. Remember reading for pleasure? I didn’t. Okay, that’s a lie, I’m a huge bookworm so I’ve always tried to find time to read for myself, even if I had heaps of work, but I certainly hadn’t been devouring books at my usual rate. For those of you who, like me, found yourself reading your physics textbook as a bedtime story, use this time to try something a little less dense (LOL physics pun!).2. Try hard in your classes. Everyone says not to let your grades slides when you’re a second term senior, and you may actually find that now that the pressure’s off, you can really enjoy working hard. Start exploring interesting subjects in your classes that you didn’t have time to bother with before. Maybe you’ll learn something surprising by reading the footnotes or not skimming the chapter. I’m a big fan of Wikipedia-ing anything that catches my interest in my history readings, but then again I’m also slightly addicted to reading obscure facts online, so…3. Tone that beach bod. Okay, maybe it’s a little early to be thinking about the beach, unless your part of that lucky 1% with their own islands, but it’s always good to be in shape!
If you’re like me, your only form of exercise during first semester senior year was cardio typing, and your diet consisted of a lot of Doritos consumed during late hours while you finished college essays. But, it’s time now to forget those dark days and start working out again. My 2012 exercise suggestion is definitely Zumba—and warning, it is only a matter of time before my “Zumba Rocks” blog, because I have a lot to say on the subject.
4. Make some money. If you want to start saving up for your prom dress or college tuition, maybe it’s time to get a job. Getting a job in high school will give you some experience for if you need to get one next year, at college. I’m going to apply for afterschool jobs in my school’s neighborhood.5. See your parents. Okay, okay, I know we’re teenagers and we’re supposed to hate our parents, but I need to make this case. It’s our last year at home and in a few months our parents will be forced to finally answer our requests of “Leave me alone!” and “Get your own life!” Maybe it’s time to get to know your parents a little better before this happens—after all, if they brought up you, you guys probably have some stuff in common. Or, if you’re like me, you already like your parents, and you’re using second semester senior year to go through old photos and cry with them. Hi Mom, Dad.Anyway, I hope these suggestions are helpful for those of you itis victims. The urge to slack is strong, but you are stronger! And don’t worry, even with these five suggestions, you’ll still have time for those nice in-class naps. Just kidding, I would never nap in class. Ever.Fiona Lowenstein is a high school senior, weekly guest blogger and Girls Leadership Institute alumna. Read more of her work here.