HEALTH ALERT—As many as 8 out of 10 seniors at New Trier are thought to be carrying a strand of the superbug Senioritis.
Those most susceptible to the virus include students who have received acceptance letters from the colleges that they wish to attend and students who have previously been diagnosed with #YOLO (#youonlyliveonce), another devastating ailment of high school students.
Symptoms, which can remain latent throughout strudents’ high school careers, include low grades, poor test scores, lethargy, a lack of motivation, a rebellious attitude, and the questionable use of “senior sacks.”
Sadly, students diagnosed with Senioritis are refusing treatment stating that going “anti-bio” is better than taking antibiotics. Teachers’ pleas to focus during class, even when combined with parental pressure to perform, also have little affect in curing students. So how can Senioritis be prevented, or cured? The answer is complex in its simplicity. Work for yourself.
It appears the only successful treatment must come from those infected. All that parents and faculty can do is to provide supportive care as their students’ bodies fight off the illness.
Although New Trier certainly puts pressure on students to perform well academically, and parents generally are seen as wanting the best for their kids, these can’t be the only motivators for students. The issue that rolls around with every senior class is that much of the pressure of the past three years is alleviated once seniors have decided what they’re doing after graduation.
Once a student has obtained the ultimate goal of acceptance into college the need to do well in school is no longer seen as essential. Unless I commit a felony, or let my grades go off the deep end of the Mariana Trench I’m pretty much good—well, maybe for the moment.
The fact is what you learn in school really does have an impact on your future. This principle applies to every class. Reading those horrendously long books in English may seem pointless, but every discussion you have about that text is giving you insight into other classmates’ perspectives, perhaps even changing your own. Now not every book might carry the same meaning with you, but you’ll never know which ones those are if you don’t read each text seriously.
For those students who argue they are wasting their time on such assignments, you’re wasting your time by not completing the assignments. The government forces you to be at school, so why not make the most of your allotted time? There’s everything to gain, and you’re wasting opportunities by slacking off.
Each assignment is what you make of it. Spend the time to put your thoughts on the page, and you’re exercising your mind. An essay consisting of what is essentially word-vomit is as gross to your teacher grading it as it is to you writing it.
If anything, senior year shows more about what kind of student you are than any of the years past. Freshman through junior year is the time to show what you are capable of, senior year is when you show what you are driven by.
So if Senioritis hasn’t completely drained you of your strength, and I suspect it hasn’t—unless being a second semester senior is that much more difficult for you in comparison to being a second semester junior—keep working. We don’t want Senioritis following us to college.