By Caroline Lippman, Princeton Day School
At the beginning of every January, high schools everywhere observe the outbreak of a serious condition: senioritis.
It starts with the seniors, but affects all the grades in the Upper School, with symptoms including Netflix binge-watching, feelings of relief, relaxation, and, perhaps most problematic of all, a severely reduced ability to do any school work.
All of the rumors you’ve heard about the infamous senior fall are true: students work diligently to maintain high grades and commitments to extracurricular activities, with the added pressure of completing their college application process. As a senior myself, I can testify that senior fall was one of the most difficult trimesters of school. The piles of work involved in college applications, combined with stress and anxiety about the admissions process, all added to the regular academic workload, can make for a tough trimester. For many students, the promise of senioritis helps keep them going through a difficult fall term.
Why does senioritis begin in January? At this point, all college applications are complete. Regardless of one’s outcome in the early admissions round, the heavy lifting of senior year is over.
Some students know which school they will be attending in the fall, while others have just finished submitting applications and await decisions in the spring. In any event, it is time for senioritis to kick in as students feel the relief of the hardest part of the college process being over.
“We’ve been going to school [from] 8 to 3 for 12 years or more,” explains Michael Kearney, a senior at Princeton Day School (PDS). “When we’re so close to the end, it’s difficult to find a reason to stay focused, especially for those who are already accepted to college.”
Dr. Elizabeth Monroe, who is an AP Art History teacher and dean of students at PDS, says, “as a teacher it can also be challenging to keep people’s minds focused on schoolwork.” She adds: “I’m excited for [the seniors] and I’m happy that they’re ready to move on. I think that’s a really important feeling or step to take.”
While it may be appealing for seniors to relax and worry less about their work, senioritis can be dangerous. Students cannot shirk all of their responsibilities in the six months between January and graduation. Even though the college process may be over, seniors are expected — like students in any other grade — to be actively engaged in classes and extracurricular activities.
In an Upper School of 400 students, there tends to be overlap between grades of students in classes or clubs and activities. If seniors mentally “check out” in a classroom, team, or organization, the entire group feels a negative impact. While we seniors may have earned the right to exhale after three and a half years of hard work, I think it is also important that we take steps to limit our senioritis.
Seniors ought to remember to remember that colleges monitor our mid-year grades and progress. As our college counselors have advised us, colleges reserve the right to withdraw an acceptance if students do not maintain a satisfactory academic record.
As Kearney, who will matriculate to Brown next year, confirms, “Brown reserves the ability to rescind my acceptance if I don’t maintain my academic and social standing. Essentially, I can’t let my grades drop substantially and I can’t get in any trouble.” He continues, “I have heard of students in past years having their acceptances rescinded, but I think you need a fairly large discrepancy in your transcript for that to happen.”
I think seniors should also finish their careers in high school with a measure of pride in the work they have done. A strong finish to senior year is desirable in its own right, so that we can graduate feeling satisfied with what we have worked to accomplish.
“I couldn’t get senioritis,” explains PDS senior Katherine Venturo-Conerly. “I still care how I do in my classes. Not that I feel the need to do perfectly, but I don’t think I’ll be getting anything out of my classes if I stop doing work.”
Kearney agrees: “Some kids have taken classes or started clubs only to beef up their college application. I chose classes which I knew would continue to interest me, and am involved in clubs only because I’m passionate about them.”
However, Kearney does concede that his college acceptance has allowed him to relax a bit more about his schoolwork: “Getting into college has let me focus a little less on academics and a little more on my extracurriculars, which I believe is still a productive use of my time.”
PDS tries to keep the seniors engaged through the end of the year, especially by requiring seniors to design and complete their own Senior Project prior to graduation. These projects, which stretch over six weeks, range from artistic or athletic ventures, internships and jobs, or service-oriented pursuits. These allow seniors to do something personally meaningful and educational during the spring, while also affording them the freedom of completing their regular courses.
Finally, seniors also take part in a final English seminar known as A Life That Works, where they begin to think about life after graduation and write and present personal “credos.”
As Dr. Monroe observes, “I think Senior Projects have the great potential to be a wonderful capstone to a PDS career, and I think the Life That Works class is perfectly designed to be thinking about that next stage.”
While seniors bask in the relief of reaching a new phase in their high school careers, it is still important to keep our senioritis in check. A well-earned break can be rewarding and appealing, and PDS seniors are trying to hit the right balance between relaxation and work. But no matter what, we should aim to end our time in the Upper School on a great note.
As senior Grace Lee concludes, “We should still put our best foot forward.”
Caroline Lippman is a Princeton Day School senior.
