As the end of the year approaches, temperatures begin to rise and grades start to fall. This part of the year may be particularly tiring if you’re a senior. From prom to college, seniors have everything but school to worry about. Of course, students in other grades aren’t exempt from declining motivation and rising stress levels. As motivation levels fall and stress levels rise, students must keep their eyes on the finish line and end strong. But students, don’t panic just yet—there are countless ways to stay focused for the home stretch.
Senior Stephen Hersh has been experiencing what some call ‘senioritis,’ a decline in motivation that occurs in seniors who are graduating soon.
“I’ve definitely been experiencing senioritis, especially now that I’ve been accepted to college, it makes it seem like high school doesn’t matter anymore,” Hersh said.
In order to overcome senioritis, it’s important for seniors to set achievable goals, maintain a balance between classwork and extracurriculars and reach out to counselors and teachers for additional support.
Hersh worked hard for the last three years to get into the colleges he wanted, and he had some words of advice for underclassmen who are struggling to stay motivated towards the end of the year.
“I think it’s important for underclassmen to think long-term, but you still enjoy the moment and every year of high school. There are a lot of things you can do to help with stress: sports, going to the gym, engaging in hobbies, reading, gardening–just do something you like doing outside of school,” Hersh said.
For any students who are feeling stressed, it is important to make sure that you balance your school life with things you enjoy doing, as Hersh mentioned.
Math teacher Jada Coakley is sympathetic to students who are losing motivation at the end of the year, as she claims teachers struggle with a loss of motivation as well.
“I love teaching seniors, but I feel for them because teachers get senioritis too at the end of the school year, so we’re chugging along together and trying to get everything done,” Coakley said.
Coakley believes that the best way for students to stay motivated at the end of the year is by balancing school life with hobbies and extracurriculars.
“I would say do things that make you feel less stressed, like watching TV, reading a book, going outside, especially when it’s nice outside and just trying to get your work done. You can make a to-do list, and then after finishing the list, you can go out and relax, so you’re not stressed or overwhelmed with missing assignments,” Coakley said.
Stress is at an all-time high at the end of the year, but for many students, that stress is due to the number of missing assignments they have accumulated throughout the semester. To avoid stress, it is important to address schoolwork head-on, even if it means spending an entire weekend catching up on what you’ve missed.
For freshmen, it’s the first time they’ll be taking second-semester finals, and for many, it’s also the first time taking AP tests. Megan Pham is a freshman who is taking her first AP exam in May: AP World History.
“I’m a little bit stressed for AP exams. I’m stressed for the AP World History text because there is so much content and I don’t have a lot of time to cover all the topics,” Pham said.
For students who are taking their first AP test, or may feel stressed, even if they’ve taken one before, the best thing to do is to pace their studying. It is unlikely for students to succeed if they attempt to cram two semesters’ worth of content into a day or two of studying. Take studying slowly, and start reviewing content weeks before your exam. Although AP exams and finals may be stressful, it’s important to face the stress head-on and study as thoroughly as possible.
Despite the fact that these last couple of weeks may be stressful and students may feel burnt out, it is important to remember that summer is just around the corner. Students only need to withstand a few more weeks of homework and studying before becoming fully (school-related) stress-free.
