As my senior year winds down, I have become a victim of senioritis. 

Since the beginning of the year, I knew I was going to catch senioritis. It was just a matter of when I was going to get it. I have noticed my senioritis more during the last semester than I did in the first semester, especially with my attendance.

My attendance has taken a hit. While freshman year I rarely missed school with the exception of orthodontist appointments, first semester of my senior year I missed five and a quarter days just because. With one month left of my last semester, I have already missed four days.

One reason my attendance is slowly becoming more of a problem is my class schedule. The first semester, I had seven actual classes and one Service Experience. However, my second semester is a lot easier. I took a total of four classes, two opens, and two Service Experiences. I normally leave school before 1 p.m. every day.  

I wish I would have challenged myself more. I only took one challenging class second semester and fear college will be a rude awakening.

Another sign of senioritis is my physical appearance. If you see someone with sweatpants or leggings, a baggy sweatshirt, and no makeup, that’s probably me. The last time I dressed up was for Homecoming court and that was because I had to dress up.

I regret not taking enough time to make myself look presentable at school. When I start my big girl job, I won’t be able to look like a slob every day. I will be working with adults, and if they see me in baggy clothes, that wouldn’t leave a very good impression.

The last way senioritis has affected me is in my work ethic. I have always been a procrastinator, but never as bad as I am now. Recently, I had two assignments due on Sunday before 11:59 p.m. I worked at the Good Neighbor Home until 11, leaving me around 59 minutes to complete both assignments. I finished with three minutes to spare.

Having senioritis made my life more stressful than it needed to be. Waiting to submit assignments in the last minute scared me. I didn’t want to get a zero on something I had completed but not turned in on time. Thankfully, that never happened, but I did have some close calls.

Senioritis is a real thing and many people experience it. I hope when underclassmen reach this point they are able to detect it and make a change before it gets too out of hand.