So, What Exactly Is Senioritis?

Its Different For Everyone




Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Just from my first post I've received a good amount of views and some nice feedback, but I feel like the definition of Senioritis is somewhat unclear. (Whoops, my bad on my part.) So I've decided to clarify what exactly Senioritis is. Let's start with a definition:
Is this definition correct? Yes. Is this definition incorrect? Also yes. This definition is right but also wrong because Senioritis is different for everyone. For me, I believe Senioritis isn't much of a "decline in motivation" but more of a "time to move on" type of experience. In my last post I talked about how Senioritis is controlled by time, friends, and also by your own actions. The Latin suffix meaning of -itis relates to medical terms, such as colitis, the inflammation of the colon. Because Senioritis shares this suffix, it's often referred to as a disease, or in the definition, a "supposed affliction". But Senioritis is far from a medical term, it's a personal experience we all (hopefully) get to experience in our lives. Not like a "puberty" type experience but more like growing up and finding yourself.

Senior year hasn't officially started yet for me, but I've already had a few cases of Senioritis. In life there are right turns, there are wrong turns, and there are left turns too. When we are faced with decisions in life, your peers may choose right, and you may choose left. Does that mean your decision was wrong? In most cases, no, because taking a different path shouldn't matter what everyone else does, it depends on what's going to benefit you. That's how Senioritis is. It's the pressure to succeed, even though it may be different than what your friend wants to succeed in. When I move onto college in the next year, I want to study Architecture. I have friends that want to become a Lawyer, a Pastor, a Mortician, a Nurse, and a Veterinarian, just to name a few. But because what we want to achieve is different, our path to success is going to vary. The scary part about this is being separated from the people you are most comfortable around. My preferred college of choice right now is eight hours south. A good friend of mine I know wants to go away about eight hours north. A 16 hour difference is quite scary to think about in the next year when I'm used to spending almost every day with her. But Senioritis is a growing up experience, and realizing that the time to separate is soon, is almost like a whack in the face. Senioritis basically is the stress about "moving on" and the preparation to do it. Moving on to college, a career, the armed services, and moving on away from family and friends to hopefully find yourself. 

Thank goodness it's the 21st century, because keeping in touch is nothing but a text message or a Facebook post. Another point I wanted to mention in this post was that through thick and thin, you learn who your true friends are. This year, I know I will not be the only one living with Senioritis in my group of friends. Learning to support each other through a complicated year with tough situations is what friendship should be about. Yes, Senioritis is learning to grow up and move on, but it doesn't mean you have to disconnect with those you love. In the end, they'll still be there for you. *plays FRIENDS theme song*

-mb.



It All Started With the Summer

my first case of senioritis
This photo's on my instagram!

Monday, August 24, 2015
It wasn't until this summer that I realized that Senioritis was hitting me. Back in June was my first case. I traveled 8 hours from home to an Architecture summer camp at a university that I'm really interested to attend next fall. There I got to experience a little bit of campus life, by staying in the dorms there, interacting with current students and one of the professors, and to feel what a potential next home would be like. The thought of little ol' me moving on to higher education and living away from home to there was a big, scary thought, but it was a happy type of scary thought, if that makes sense. A lot of people don't like change in their lives, and I'm certainly one of them, but moving on to go away to college was a change I was ready for, for at least a year or so now. Don't get me wrong, I love home, but I'm ready to get out and experience something new, and that week long taste of "college life" convinced me even more. 

 Time is a big reason why Senioritis exists. The reason why my big, happy, scary thought of moving on to college was scary is because that time was itching closer to make that thought a reality. Time is scary too. Time's getting closer to fill out college applications and scholarships, time's getting closer to graduate, but also time controls all those "last times", such as the last band camp, the last first day of school, or the last prom. But time is constant, we can't slow down, speed up, repeat, or pause time (but man I wish we could!) so all we have is the right now. Everyone has a different "right now", depending on what situation we're in and what we do as a reaction to it. For my "right now"s I'm choosing to enjoy them as best as I can.

For the "right now" moments, our reactions to them are vital, because our reaction to one "right now" moment will effect the next "right now" moment. Another case of Senioritis I've experienced was just a couple days ago. I have good amount of friends that are older than me, including some of my closest friends. Today was their first day of class at the local community college. I've noticed, even just after graduating, they have changed, especially someone that I considered my best friend. Over this summer she seemed to act different. I know acting different is expected and normal when leaving high school and moving on to college, but she was acting different in a worse matter. Her attitude changed, and she did things that I'd never expected her to do. Every time we were together she seemed snappy and rude towards me, and if it wasn't her way, it was no way. A couple of days ago she started acting not-so like a friend to me, and as a good friend I told her what was going on. She says I "upset her greatly" and that "I thought we were better friends than that." A good friend tells a friend when something is wrong. If anything, she upset me more than I would've upset her. In this "right now" moment, I've decided to not let her bother me any more. It's my senior year, and if I can prevent complication, I am as sure as heck going to. She's onto college and so I have to let go. Senioritis hits when your friends move on. She moved on to college and I'm still stuck in high school for one more year. Just because I have one more year, doesn't mean it has to drag or go bad. I'm not letting a problem like this hold me back, because my last year, should will be my best year.

- mb.