For most of the Class of 2023, the countdown to graduation has begun. As our final half of the year begins, a plague known as senioritis has started spreading across most seniors.

Senioritis presents as academic indifference and a complete lack of motivation. Senioritis has a long list of symptoms with the most notable being late work, failing grades, missed practices or meetings, and unread emails in your inbox. Although senioritis does not attack your blood cells or body, it does greatly affect many high school seniors.

As the third marking period began, I realized how hard it was to get out of bed in the morning. I found myself sleeping in a little longer because I was just unmotivated to get out of bed. In my classes, I became easily distracted and found myself constantly looking at the clock.

It was at that moment that I came to the realization that I was suffering from senioritis. And, as it turns out, I’m not alone. A handful of my friends and many other seniors also began suffering from senioritis. Some caught senioritis earlier once they had finished college applications and began to get accepted.

For the Class of 2023, we are finally finding some normalcy after the past couple of years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As we enjoy making up for a lost time, seniors are still anxiously awaiting the start of the next chapter of our lives. With some having locked in their after-high school plans, there is a big lack of motivation to keep up grades or attendance. As the mindset of beginning a new chapter starts to take over, seniors gain relief from seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

However, severe cases of senioritis can jeopardize your future and there are a lot of reasons why it’s important to stay afloat academically for the remainder of this school year.

While it is okay and understandable to feel lazy and take more naps than usual, if your grades and attendance begin to fall, it will become an issue. For those going to college, your final transcript with your senior year grades will be sent to the college you plan on attending, so you cannot have a failing grade in any of your classes. Even if you’ve already committed and paid an enrollment deposit at a university, colleges can revoke admission offers or they could put you on academic probation for your first semester of college.

With that being said, to all my fellow seniors out there, senioritis is absolutely normal. Do not be ashamed of yourself if you feel that you’re not working hard enough, but make sure to push yourself to your fullest potential because we only have three months left. After the last numerous years of stress and hard work, you deserve a rest.