A strange thing often happens during the senior year of a high school or college student. The excitement of starting a new career or higher educational path can overwhelm the routine realities of school life, making even the most exciting graduation rituals seem less and less appealing. This general feeling of apathy or malaise is informally known to both students and faculty as senioritis. Senioritis can strike anytime during a student's senior year, but generally it appears during the final months of the second semester. By that time, many seniors have already been accepted to colleges or have solid prospects for a entry-level career position. All that stands between a graduating senior and a new chapter in life is paperwork and ritual.
Senioritis is not a serious medical condition, but there are elements of senioritis which resemble depression and social withdrawal. Senioritis sufferers often become apathetic towards school-related activities, such as sports, extracurricular clubs, and performance-oriented classes. Faculty members may try to counteract senioritis by assigning major projects towards the end of the semester or producing a class play or talent show. The results, however, can be variable. Students with severe senioritis may simply be marking time until graduation, which doesn't exactly bode well for instructors.
Another effect of senioritis is a more casual attitude towards class attendance. It is not unusual for graduating seniors to enroll in so-called "Mickey Mouse" courses, electives with minimal requirements and little effect on a student's overall grade point average. Others with senioritis may decide that a school's truancy policy no longer applies to a student with only weeks to go before graduation. As long as a senior has completed the required courses to obtain a diploma, failing a few elective courses due to excessive absenteeism shouldn't be a major concern. Some colleges, however, have exercised the right to rescind admission offers to students who fail to demonstrate educational discipline during their final semester as seniors.
Not every senior experiences senioritis in its most blatant form, but many do feel bittersweet towards their final days as students. For some, the thought of not seeing their friends on a regular basis causes feelings of depression or nostalgia. Others see the final days of their senior years as an opportunity to settle accounts before they leave their hometowns for distant campuses or careers. Senioritis can trigger some unexpected emotions, as students prepare to close one chapter in their lives and open a new one without the familiar environs of a school building to guide them.
