After too many tests, late nights, short summers, Friday night football games, and COVID-19, the class of 2024 has finally made it to senior year.

With the second semester rapidly approaching its end, a new, highly contagious, and infectious disease is spreading: Senioritis. During the past three years of high school, I always assumed that this Senior Fever was a myth, created as an excuse to be lazy. However, I am here to prove otherwise.

I can still remember sitting in my grandfather’s van after a bad day junior year at school, crying because of one bad test. “Come on kiddo,” said my grandfather. “You love to learn, it’s one of the things I like the most about you.” I never thought that I would become sick with the senior year slump, yet here I am. 

I’m not saying that I’m failing my classes and dropping out or anything, but my naive, exciting outlook toward school has almost completely faded away. I used to get up at 5 A.M. on the dot, do my hair and makeup, and put effort into my outfits. Now, It is a miracle that I wake up five minutes before I am supposed to be leaving, and make it to school in anything but sweats and slippers. Before, I came home and immediately started and finished my homework. Now, I come home, take several hours of accidental naps, start my homework, and finish it the next day in study hall. 

There are many ways to catch the senior plague, such as fear and anticipation of the future. I think that part of the problem lies in that high school seniors have been through the school routine for over three years now, and are bound to burnout at some point. Further, seniors are so close to the end of a chapter, and the beginning of a new one, that high school seems to be dragging at this point. As bittersweet as graduating is, many of us are on the crisp of adulthood, leaving the only community we have known for the past four years, often leading to seniors mentally checking out. I often catch myself with the end goal mindset, thinking, “I’m already accepted into college, what’s the point?” This mentality is not me, and it deeply saddens me to think about how dedicated and determined my past self was. However, I know that I’m not alone, and I know that part of me is buried deep under this flue.

Just like all the classes before them, the class of 2024 has faced many setbacks. My class is one of the last to deal with the complications of Covid in high school. During my freshman year, schools were on a hybrid schedule. We would go to school two days a week and have three days of online instruction. Although students and teachers did the best with what we were given, this schedule ultimately led to less productivity and learning. A lot of students missed out on the transition to high school. It’s no wonder that seniors are so burnt out.

Studies have shown that there is a correlation between dopamine levels and motivation. According to an article published by Boston University and a study by Vanderbilt University, “High levels of dopamine in many regions of the brain are associated with a high work ethic.” Further, “There is a strong negative correlation between dopamine levels and work ethic in the anterior insula.“ The results of this study show that hardworking people have high levels of dopamine in the two parts of the brain most known for their role in reward and motivation, and low dopamine levels in the anterior insula, which is linked to motivation and risk perception.” Meaning, that motivation could be dependent on how your brain perceives the satisfaction of both risks and rewards. 

I can vouch that I have lacked the motivation to put in the same effort and hard work into school that I used to, and I do not have the same motivation I once had. As the weeks go on, the days feel longer, and in certain moments, it is hard to find the motivation to even go to school.

That said, there is still so much to look forward to, and more to be grateful for. Senior year is the last year to take in memories with your childhood friends and the last year to truly be kids. While maintaining good academic performance is important, I also appreciate the fact that I don’t feel the same academic pressure I did during the last few years of high school. I get to look forward to and anticipate the new beginnings that come with graduating, and with that, a newfound sense of hope, excitement, and aspirations. 

Before I lose the motivation to finish this article, I want to tell any fellow senior who may have contracted the infamous senior fever: you’re not alone. Take in the final memories, the last Friday nights, the last pep rallies and dances. These are moments you will never get back, and that is something special. Do not let this plague get the best of you. It is okay to put yourself first but keep pushing. In the end, you will come out on the other side and will be able to look back and appreciate all the memories, good and bad, from your high school career.