Senioritis has officially taken over Wilsonville High School. The once motivated students are now finding themselves questioning how necessary their attendance is, and if the class lecture will be posted on Google Classroom or not. Whether it’s skipping class, or flat out not doing schoolwork, the struggle is getting real. 

It may seem like a funny joke going viral on the internet, but the effects of this so-called illness are starting to affect not only students’ attendance, but also their performance at school and their whole mindset about school. 

Traditionally, the effects of senioritis don’t kick in until a senior’s second semester, but now students are feeling it as soon as junior year. Side effects may include: burnt out or unmotivated feelings, many absences, or no urge to go to school. Ever. 

“When you go to all your hard classes, you feel like there’s no point in going to the easy ones,” says Kira Wilson. “Especially if you know you’re not doing anything that day and the teacher will most likely post the whole lesson on Google Classroom.” Many other juniors share the same opinion as Kira, feeling that there’s ‘no point’.

A classmate of Kira, Lauren Roska, shares her view on how juniors are feeling. “Juniors are taking a lot of AP classes and hard classes because this is the year colleges mainly look at.” This experience is far too common, and many students weren’t prepared for it. 

But the strongest level of struggle brings it back to the seniors. Ari Avila has her own take on the phenomenon, “as soon as I hear I got into my college, and that my grades are good, and I know my classes can be done at home or have no work, I will either be late or just go home. But it also gives me time with friends because this is the last time I’ll see a lot of my friends.”

Senioritis may seem avoidable from afar, but it’s extremely contagious. Stay consistent, don’t lose motivation. Finish strong and be a role model for the sophomores and freshmen to stay on top of everything. Even though burnout is a trend it will hurt you in the end. Make sure to find motivation and to keep a healthy balance in schoolwork.