A Penny for Pat’s Thoughts: The Senior Slump

With the beginning of second semester, the end of my focus towards school is looming very soon. After having two strong quarters this year while taking three AP courses, I believe that I have exhausted all my energy to the point where I no longer have the drive to finish the year. While this should not be the case, the thought of going to college next year proves to be something that I look forward to.

Senior year has proven to be a successful one. While taking three AP classes, attending lacrosse workouts, and working four days a week, I’ve rarely had any free time for myself. While I have been completing my homework, the closer that I get to April 29th, the less interested I seem to be in school. If I’m being honest with myself, and everyone else, besides Calc & Physics, I am not as focused as I was.

The reason I think that seniors may lose interest their senior year is because we see the light at the end of the tunnel coming very fast. Three straight years of working hard, trying to learn, accumulate knowledge and look solid to colleges at the same time, has worn us out. Once those acceptance letters roll in, we perceive that college admissions really don’t consider those senior year grades. Subsequently, we see no point in continuing to put in as much work as we did when it seemed to matter more (which isn’t truly the case, it is more just a perception). Another reason that some seniors lose interest is that we spend a lot of time on the college application process, which can drain the little energy we do have left.

Overall, a “senior slump” may be inevitable for all of us. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for our parents, teachers and principals! Our teachers use any and all means to try to push us to do work, but unless we make an active choice to do it, it just won’t work. Besides my AP tests, I know I have lost focus, as have many of my senior classmates. Is this how the seniors feel every year? Will next year’s class also succumb to the same slump or will they fight through it until the end?