Nyla Harris / Assistant A&C Editor

For fourth year students graduating in Spring 2024, the finish line is now in sight. So why do seniors start to trip, fall and run the other way at the end of the race? While “senioritis” isn’t a physical disease you can catch from someone else, it has become a plague for many students nearing the end of their educational journey.  

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, senioritis is defined as the “fallback of motivation and effort by seniors, as evidenced by tardiness, absences and lower grades.” 

Every senior suffering with such lack of motivation has a different story for why this feeling happens. University of the People, a tuition free online degree program, lists common themes for the stories, which consist of end goal mindset, boredom, denial/fear and anticipation.  

USD senior Alex Nazereno finds herself plagued with senioritis, as she balances interning at a law firm and anticipates graduating with her bachelors in May of 2024. She describes a bit of her story as she pushes through her final semester.

“Leaving homework until the last minute is my senioritis. I just think it can be difficult to actually sit down and do reading or papers nowadays, especially considering we’ve done that our whole educational career,” Nazereno said. “Being a senior in my experience, especially with friends, homework and our outside lives, it’s normal for your mind to be somewhere else, because we’re always just doing something.”

Some professors think it’s laziness, others believe it to be a mindset. However, for many fourth year students, the reason for late or absent assignments is due to the general exhaustion of senioritis. 

When individuals have been put on the path to achieve so much in such little time, feelings of fatigue or burnout may occur. 

USD senior Lilliana Morino is aware of this common issue that affects her classmates. She explained her experience and reason for pushing through during her final semester.  

“Balancing schoolwork and job applications is extremely difficult right now, but I know that it’s only temporary stress, that I will thank myself later for,” Morino said. “Focusing on school while being an adult does come with its challenges, but I try to be in the moment. I’m sure there will be a time where I’ll look back and miss being a student.”

Before continuing down the path of no return, there are tricks and tips to get re-energized and finish the year off strong.  One of the recommended tips, as mentioned by Morino, is staying present within the senior experience, with the future payoff in mind. Other tips include setting goals, rewarding oneself and taking deserved breaks.

USD class of 2023 graduate Gabrielle Sabia reminisces on her time as a college student. In reflecting upon senioritis, she gives advice to seniors experiencing what she once felt being a student only one year ago. 

“Just do what you gotta do, because you’re almost there, and it’s going to be so rewarding and gratifying when you get to that podium, especially when you give it all you got at the end,” Sabia said. “The most rewarding part of graduating was making my family proud and seeing all the people that celebrated me. I remember literally patting myself on the back after I graduated, because it’s so important not to brush over major accomplishments like getting your bachelors, associates or whatever degree it is you get. It’s a big deal, and I think you have to give yourself even more credit, like as a woman, or just anyone that’s in a space where you originally weren’t allowed to be in, you just deserve all the credit and reward.”

Imagine training for a year to run a marathon, accomplishing all the goals set for yourself and then asking if running your hardest matters on race day. The intensity and rigor of balancing school and work during the final year of university can be extreme. For many students, it’s their last year ever going to school — a task they may have worked toward, for over 16 years. 

Regardless, losing motivation completely could result in losing things you’ve already worked for. Student burnout and intellectual exhaustion is a common part of the college experience. 

However, combating senioritis can start with addressing this exhaustion, identifying points of focus, rewarding oneself for all the achievements done and giving space to breathe and exist as a senior in college.