By Nathan Drezner
The school year is coming to a close. Nearly all standardized testing has passed. The curricula for many AP classes has unofficially ended. Goodbye, solid and successful work ethic.
After nearly eight months of school, the end is near, and summer is quickly approaching. Practically the only thing left before sweet, sweet freedom are final exams. Most seniors at this point in the year know where they will be heading in September, and it is easy to shift away from a school-oriented attitude when, for many seniors, grades have become irrelevant.
This particular malady is called “senioritis.” Symptoms include not turning in homework, spending more time with friends, and an increase in absences for the last quarter of school.
Senior skip day is a prime example of senioritis near the end of school. High school seniors arrange a day for nearly everyone to stay home — senior skip day adds another day off for seniors to Memorial Day weekend, giving them a four day weekend after prom.
Even though many people participate, it counts as an absence from school, so students who already missed too much school over the course of the year may not be able to join in.
As a junior, I am often jealous of my friends who have their college plans already set up. They don’t need to write college essays over the summer and cross their fingers as the webpage with SAT scores loads. Instead, they get to prepare for college.
It has been easy for the approaching summer to get the best of me, and I, too, have fallen somewhat behind on my homework assignments. I’ve made a pact with myself to not miss any more homework assignments in my math class, and for the past week, it has been quite successful. I like the look of those 5/5’s. Keep up the mediocre work, me!
This spring, the weather has been beautiful, too. I know that I would much rather go outside and play Frisbee then hover over computer work. And when the sun goes down, the Netflix queue awaits.
“I have so much work to do,” I’ll tell myself. “But … I’m so close to finishing House of Cards… ”
Early decision acceptances can foster senioritis even earlier than May—a good friend of mine was accepted to his first choice school in November, meaning that the rest of the year was not important in terms of the college application process.
Regardless of the original acceptance, many schools that offer early decision acceptances will revoke their decision if a student’s grades drop too much, making a baseline mandatory for acceptance. There is still plenty of legroom for seniors, though, as the baseline is usually a C or C+.
Different teachers treat the end of the year differently, especially between AP and non-AP classes. After AP testing, many classes shift to long-term projects or smaller assignments, and an advanced, difficult class can become more relaxed and enjoyable.
Non-AP classes continue their curriculum up until final exams, but for some, the end of the year curriculum can ease off a little.
For students in classes that relax at the end of the year, senioritis can be good. A little less attention to school work can open up more free time. In the winter and fall working tirelessly from the end of school until sunset (and often later) on a single assignment can happen quite frequently. By contrast, in May and June, opportunities for picnics at the battlefield or movies on weeknights can present themselves more easily.
An ease in tension for Princeton High School students is often especially needed, as many students tire themselves out with advanced classes and countless extracurricular activities.
For seniors, their senioritis is deserved, after a year of college applications and important decisions. The summer is a great time, and the final stretch in May and June is essentially a cooldown lap. It is a chance to slow down, recollect, and then go headfirst into summer vacation.
This year, I couldn’t experience true senioritis. That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to next May, though. For now, I’ll enjoy the free time that I have.
Frisbee, anyone?
Nathan Drezner is a junior at Princeton High School.
