It’s 11:38 p.m. right now, and this story is supposed to run in less than 12 hours. But all I have is that sentence, and a pretty blank canvas. The story was assigned last Monday, yet here I am a week later deciding to begin. Now, I know you think you know what’s wrong with me: I’m a huge procrastinator who’s constantly putting off school work to the last possible minute, but I promise that’s not it. This, my friends, is a prime case of a condition commonly known as senioritis.

What is senioritis? Well, this is senioritis. Senioritis is just being done with high school, realizing that this is the final stretch, that it’s over, and that, frankly, you just don’t care. Senioritis is the realization of the end.

Now, there are two types of senioritis:

1. The “I’m not going to do my homework because I’m going to binge watch Netflix” type; and 2. The “I’m going to ditch class every other day of the week because I don’t feel like going” type.

You hear it from your parents, your teachers, your counselors: “Don’t let senioritis sink in!!! You’re so close to being done, just finish strong!” But why? Do these people not remember what it’s like to be in high school?

Senioritis isn’t just rewarded, it’s earned! After three and a half years of all-nighters, terrible group projects, classes you couldn’t stand, teachers you didn’t get along with, and that awful cafeteria food, you finally have some leeway. You’ve been accepted to college (hopefully) and probably committed too! Not to mention, your grades are nowhere near terrible, and you’ve learned to get the work done during class. You have a couple more months to let loose and stop giving 100%, so just let it happen. This is why senioritis is a thing. 

This condition strikes the best of us, and the worst of us. Better yet, this condition strikes all of us. My only advice is to not let it get in the way too much. I mean, you still want to graduate, right?

I am most definitely guilty of not trying as much as a high school student should, but us seniors are at that point in their lives where the routine is just too repetitive.

Every day, I get home from school, watch about five hours of Netflix, eat a little bit, watch some more Netflix, and next thing I know it’s 11:38 p.m. and I have an article running in less than 12 hours. I’m guilty of it, I know that I am. But I get good grades, I have a solid GPA, and I still manage to pass all of my tests.

So yes, senioritis is practically inevitable. It’s when you’re at that point, and trust me, eventually, we’re all at that point. But don’t let yourself completely go. Missing a few homework assignments to binge-watch Netflix is/should be acceptable at this stage in the game, but don’t start ditching your science class every other day of the week because you’re sick of earlybird. There’s the fun, understandable type of senioritis, but there’s the obnoxious type, too.

Well, it’s 12:32 a.m. now. And this story is running in nine hours. To be honest, I think this entire story just explained itself.

However, in the end, all that really matters is graduation, right? I know I want to move on to college and get out of here, and I can only imagine another 95% of you do as well. Just hold it together, 2016. We’re right there. We’ve got 48 days until we’re free, until we’re able to look back on the last four years of our lives and say, “I did it.”