The lights overhead are bright and unflattering. Your feet are dangling off the table, and your eyes are staring at a “Hang in there!” poster of a kitty holding onto a branch.
“So, you’re feeling unmotivated, worn out and guilty for resting,” the doctor says.
You nod. Four years of hard work, driven by an ambitious goal, all to tear like aluminum foil when you hit “Submit” on your last college application. You thought you would feel lighter on your feet, but now you only feel heavier.
“And when did these symptoms start?”
You hesitate, and then quietly say, “after applications.”
Seniors everywhere, including at Oak Park High School, are in this predicament. Reports of this condition spiked after January 5.
“[The condition] is officially feeling the burnout of four years of high school, working really hard, probably at this point completing most, if not all, of your applications, and just feeling the burnout from that,” Ambyr Preston, OPHS college and career advisor said.
If you think you might be experiencing such disease, below are the symptoms as outlined by patients who suffer from the illness (and who have remained anonymous to speak more freely):
A drop in grades
“I feel like my grades have already been struggling,” OPHS senior Student A said. “So I’ve actually had to fight to get them up instead of letting them drop.”
Not completing assignments
“I try to complete my assignments on time, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen,” OPHS senior Student B said. “I just don’t feel motivated.”
Procrastination
“I wait on almost all my assignments to do them ‘until the last minute,” OPHS senior Student C said.
Loss of interest
“I think my coursework is definitely easier,” OPHS senior Student D said. “It’s just that I don’t want to put in the work.”
Skipping class
“I’ve definitely skipped class a couple times when I felt tired,” Student B said. “Especially my morning classes.”
Treatment
Like many conditions, treatment is debated. According to Southern New Hampshire University, reminding yourself of your goals can ease the symptoms.
“I think there’s some truth to that, because, ultimately, at least for me, a lot of my stress is going to be over in the next two weeks,” Student A said. “Which is nice that it has an expiration date on it … Being positive is valuable.”
Other patients don’t think the treatment is possible.
“I don’t really think there’s a cure,” Student C said. “I think almost everybody will check out at some point when they realize the year’s pretty much over for them.”
There may not be a cure, but there are definitely ways to ease symptoms. . The first: fear. Remind yourself that colleges still look at your mid-year report, it’s not just a myth.
“The student that applied to those schools is the student that needs to finish out their senior year,” Preston said.
When it’s time for the counselors to send the seniors’ final transcripts in June, colleges will want to see that you have remained true to who you told them you were when you applied.
“Admissions is definitely going to look at your grades,” Preston said. “They are going to look at your senior grades and they can, in fact, rescind your acceptance offer if you no longer are passing your classes.”
People currently suffering from the disease have advice for OPHS rising seniors, who are likely feeling early onset symptoms.
“For incoming seniors … really focus on what you care about and what works for you,” Student A said. “You hear a lot of talk about people applying early decision or early action or applying to all these schools, or applying to none of the schools that you’re applying to. But ultimately, it’s your future and not theirs.”
You return to the doctor’s office for your follow up, and there’s that kitten poster again. .
“Kid, you’ve got a problem, but it’s a pretty common one,” the doctor says. “You’ve got senioritis.”
You slump back in your chair. You’ve done the work, now is just the final stretch. Just a few more months.
