You’ve been in school for a long time. Like, a really long time. Once upon a time, a high school degree opened up the world to you, and the world became your oyster.
While that is still possible today, the need for higher education is more important now than ever before, and many students find themselves going to college when they may not even want to.
Sure, you can get through it for a few years. However, once you start to eclipse the second year of a four-year undergraduate degree, it really hits you. By this point, you have been in school for over 12 years, and that can really be a drag for anyone. By the time you fake your enthusiasm through junior year, senior year comes along, and a lot of kids just don’t have it anymore.
I like to think of myself as a very determined and process-oriented person. I try to I make sure that I am making an effort when it comes to schoolwork.
At the end of the day, I feel that work needs to be done because when you lay down in bed, you know what you did and whether or not the effort you put in was worth it or not. Plus, “it’ll pay off it the end,” I always tell myself. But even I experience senioritis from time to time.
I have those days when I wake up and debate skipping class. I have those days where I go into town instead of typing a paper. I have days where I sit inside and do absolutely nothing, even though I know I have a pressing test the following day. I believe it is normal for anyone to experience that drag from time to time, especially after being in school for so long.
But that itself is part of the test of school. Learning to persevere and get through it no matter what, even when it’s something you don’t want to do, is a trait that will help you when you get to the job force. It’s all about attitude.
During an interview with Dr. Ben Kuebrich, an English professor at West Chester University, I asked him some questions about his experience dealing with the feelings of senioritis. Kuebrich has a master’s degree as well as a PhD, so if anyone can understand the length of school, it’s someone with that many certificates.
I asked if he had ever felt a dragging feeling while going through school.
“I felt a sense of purpose in school,” Kuebrich said. He explained how in high school he never felt the excitement in school that he did once he got to the college level.
He kept himself motivated by taking classes that interested him and by exposing himself to all the things he liked, including journalism, reading and English.
Kuebrich said he felt inspired his senior year after getting into the master’s program at Miami University and used that inspiration to keep his momentum going. By reading up on subjects that interested him and would help him prepare for the program, he was able to keep spirits high and went into the program ready to learn and take on whatever it had to offer.
Finally, he said getting an internship helping an editor at a book publisher helped to keep him interested.
Essentially, staying away from senioritis is simple. Stay focused. Stay on task. Stay away from all the extra noise and don’t let it distract you. Do things that you want and that keep you interested.
You can tackle all of the work that comes with it because it will be work you want to do!
Everyone experiences that dragging feeling sometimes, no matter what it is, everything has its monotonous and boring aspects of it. By staying focused, doing what you want and what keeps you interested, you can keep senioritis at bay.
Besides, enjoy it now—schoolwork is better than a job any day!
Alex Libutti is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at AL803657@wcupa.edu.