As this school year nears that May 25 deadline, the excitement I began with has seemingly worn off. I used to believe senioritis was some sort of phenomenon made up to explain the excess of naps during English, the increase in screen time when leaving math. However, the slowing down of the schoolwork has been accompanied with a dread of fully doing work, which I’m assuming is the senioritis monster everyone warned me about.

While senioritis isn’t seemingly uncommon, it has definitely appeared differently in each person. I’ve had a drastically different experience with it, especially in comparison to the stories I’ve heard in the past. Senioritis hasn’t been dropping grades, missed assignments, the common occurrences attributed to the term. I’ve always been a very involved student, with a multitude of honors classes, extracurriculars, and extra assignments taking a lot of time on my schedule. While it has been extra effort on my part, being involved to the extent I am has definitely had a positive impact on my life.

Being involved isn’t solely putting effort into the group itself. A lot of these groups have certain requirements a member must meet, whether they be regarding attendance or class performance. I have to wake up early to come to meetings, which gives me a reason to come to class instead of settling for makeup work. I have to maintain a high GPA, so I work through the dread of senioritis to do my work to the best of my abilities.

Even further than maintaining spots in my groups, I’ve always known I was going to college. Earning a degree is expensive, and I’ve understood that scholarships would be necessary to fund my education. Therefore, my grades have not had any room to slip, since I have not allowed myself to let occur to help my parents and future self out as much as possible.

While not having to fully stress about an abundance of homework has been nice, it’s also made me realize that we’re coming up close on a day that always seemed so far away. Walking across the stage, holding that diploma have always seemed like an exciting moment in my life. It has been a moment I’ve dreamed about, knowing that my hard work will have paid off. However, now that it is right around the horizon, there’s an almost melancholy feeling attached to that excitement.