After three strenuous years of homework, mind-numbing classes, large group lectures, caffeine infused late nights and the tremendous balancing act of school, sports, work and attempting to be somewhat social, it appears inevitable that by senior year most of us have lost our drive. With the end in sight, each day is a struggle to focus on the tasks at hand.

For example, it has taken me about eight workdays just to get to this point.

Luckily, this lackadaisical phenomenon is recognized by today’s high school community. It is known as senioritis and it can ruin your life.

The interesting thing about senioritis is that it is the anti-excuse. No one blames it for their diminishing ambition. Seniors do not need excuses; we are not looking to explain ourselves or justify procrastination. It signifies reaching a point where we are feeling the pressure of senior projects, college applications and the entrance to the real world. With all of this being the main focus, everything else just feels trivial.

I’ve been contemplating, mostly because I haven’t been doing anything else, why seniors are affected by this. Is this a natural occurrence that is just a result of everything going on, or is it contagious? Is it possible that it exists solely because it gets passed on from one graduating class to the next? Or maybe it’s a combination of the two. It is a normal phenomenon to go through, but it gets blown out of proportion. Is it that we accept it as it is and make no attempt to be better than it? Whatever the cause, its effects are undeniably detrimental.

It is senior year when everything starts coming up at once. There is a monumental increase of pressure and stress from the seemingly insurmountable load of new and very important hurdles.We are being told that our futures start now. Perhaps the moment senioritis kicks in is following the realization that the good ol’ days are over. After that, there is always something that needs to be done.

While we all draw out attention to the big ticket items, we forget the importance of the small things. We tend to just want to move on and everything that doesn’t directly affect senior projects, graduation, or college gets put on the backburner, and eventually disappears altogether. It all seems irrelevant.

The problem is, it is relevant. Even though we like to think we are done with everything, we aren’t. Senioritis is actually the final great challenge of high school. Beat it, and you’ll be fine. Good job, you stuck with it to the very end. But, fall into the trap of senioritis and things may not turn out so well.

Let’s not forget that colleges look at the grades for both semesters of senior year. It can make or break us.

And with that said, I’m going to lunch. Double lunch.