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Senioritis is a term used to describe the laziness displayed by students who are nearing the end of high school and college in the United States and Canada. Its symptoms can include slowness, procrastination, apathy regarding schoolwork, and a tendency toward truancy.
Background
"Senioritis" is a jocular term rather than a medical one, and is not recognized by the American Psychological Association as a distinct illness. It could be considered allied to affective psychological disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
While senioritis is generally viewed as an imaginary disease, its effects are well known to most experienced educators. This imagined affliction is a symptom of students' complacency once they have all but guaranteed their place in college. After college admission letters arrive in early spring, high school seniors feel even less pressure to push themselves academically. In an effort to combat senioritis, many colleges require that an updated transcript be sent from the high school after the end of the school year, and will revoke admission if a student's grades drop.
Prevention
General preventative measures, frequently taken by school administrators, can include research papers, senior projects, and other academic assignments of significant weight. Often times these academic assignments produce results of both extremes, either that of helping the student significantly, or that of adding to the students feeling of apathy, causing them to fail. Some schools even try to offer students programs to encourage attendance, while other schools buckle down and enforce their rules regarding attendance. Medical orthodoxy suggests that the dangers of preventative medication generally outweigh the benefits and thus, the majority of doctors do not prescribe drugs to "treat" senioritis.
External links
- The College Board: What to do About Senioritis
- NPR: The Mysteries of Senioritis
- Jostens: Dealing with Senioritis
- eCampusTours - Senioritis: Avoiding the Epidemic
- Wayne D'Orio. Searching For The Cure To Senioritis. District Administration: The Magazine for K-12 Education Leaders. October, 2002.
"Senioritis"