News Associate Editor
As the winter term comes to a close, members of the Class of 2008 begin to look forward to the last term of their Choate careers—the fabled senior spring. Although this carefree term is still a few weeks away, some hard-working, dedicated, students have already succumbed to “senioritis,” symptoms of which include “lethargy and lack of focus,” according to TIME Magazine. At this point in the year, seniors are waiting for the conclusion of their high school careers before they move on to college.
Not Everyone Slacking
Although some students who have been accepted early to their first choice college spend the rest of their senior year maintaining a minimal GPA, others are still hard at work. “There are a bunch of activities, such as writing, acting in my one-person show, and playing bass, that I’m actually working much harder than before I got into college,” said Ben Firke ’08, who was accepted at Wesleyan, his top choice school. Free from the pressures and stress of “getting in,” Firke said he has been able to focus more on what he is really passionate about, although he admitted he has been “less invested” in classes he considers less important. “As for my friends in college, I don’t think they’re doing the ‘senior slack’ either. All the people who got in early are fairly sincere about their desire to learn, so it’s not like my friends into schools have decided to never do an assignment again.”
Other seniors do not share Firke’s motivation. My-co Nguyen ’08 said she suffers from “safety school senioritis.” “I know I’m going to college somewhere now, so I start my work around 11 every night,” she said. Jen Bashian ’08, one of the Head Prefects, added, “I start my work after I do lights out, which is at 10:45.” Bashian continued, “I think the general feeling of our grade is that we’re all tired.” Nguyen agreed. “And we’re looking forward to senior spring,”
A Noticeable Difference
Have faculty noticed this change in behavior in the senior class? “So far there does not seem to be any epidemic of ‘senioritis,’” said Mrs. Amy Foster, a teacher in the HPRSS department. “A lot of my students are still not settled on where they are going to college, and they seem fairly focused on doing good work,” she noted. Ms. Amy Salot, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life, felt differently. “I think some prefects are probably tired of the winter, and may have less energy than they started out with in the fall,” she said. Hanh Nguyen ’08 added that “no one does the reading anymore” in her term-long senior history elective.
Some schools have chosen to combat the lack of motivation in seniors, which generally begins once they have passed the halfway mark in their final year of high school. A TIME Magazine article titled “How to Combat Senioritis” described a program created to keep seniors motivated and involved at the private Miken Community High School in Los Angeles. In the Wise Individualized Senior Experience (WISE) program, students can earn class credit by interning for organizations that match up with their areas of interest. Founded in 1991, the non-profit organization has reached about 70 high schools in 12 states. For example, one girl at the Miken School with a strong interest in law was able to intern at the Los Angeles Superior Court after school.
Staving off Senioritis
The Collegeboard website offers tips on “What to Do About Senioritis,” such as maintaining a challenging course load and staying active and involved in the school community. The site warns that “taking it easy senior year might seem like a nice break, but is likely to do more harm than good…incomplete high school reports can lead to academic problems in college.” Head of College Counseling Mr. Dean Jacoby supported this statement. “Students certainly can have their acceptance revoked by colleges,” he said. “Choate students who have not ended the year in the same fashion as they began it have received letters from colleges stating that their acceptance was in jeopardy pending an explanation from the student about the drop in grades. It is a miserable experience for students and not how they want to start their relationship with their new school.”
The best advice for students who are tempted to slack, even if they are already into college, might be just to keep working hard. Students such as Firke appear to have taken this to heart. “Perhaps the real ‘senioritis’ sets in during the spring, but right now I don’t feel it,” he said.
Alex Manti ’08 takes a break from work to indulge his senioritis wih a game of “Guitar Hero.” PHOTO/Michael Tsai ’10
