Emma Guilfoyle, senior, is eager for May 18, the last day of school for seniors.

“I’m excited for more freedom, especially when it comes to college and times for classes in college,” Guilfoyle said.

Though she almost made it through all four seemingly endless years, she has not done it without challenges.

“It was very difficult at times and I didn’t like high school at parts,” she said.

She said this year her grade improved more than it had in previous years, but her motivation, or lack thereof, became minimal as the end neared.

Instead of completing homework at home, she said she uses her first hour Study Hall to get it all finished. She also said that she does not do most of her math homework because of the vast quantities that are constantly thrown her way.

Many seniors are facing similar symptoms when it comes to motivation and grades. While 58.6 percent of senior grades have improved this year, 26.2 percent have gotten worse, according to a recent senior survey.  

A total of 6.4 percent have an F as a lowest class grade, 10.3 percent have a D, 27.1 percent have a C, 33.5 percent have a B and only 22.7 percent have an A as of this semester.

Emily Diaz, college counselor, stressed the importance of earning good grades senior year. She said even though most non highly selective schools look to see if a student completed the required classes for the required number of years, grades the final year should not be a second thought.

“They’re definitely going to look to make sure that they’ve passed all those classes to meet whatever the college’s requirements are,” Diaz said. “They’re going to look to see, that last semester, did the student finish and get all their four years of English completed, three years of math, three years of science, three years of social studies and so on.”

For highly selective schools, grades are considered more heavily and could possibly affect admittance standings.

“Not only are they going to look to see did the student pass the class, but they’re going to look to see what grades that student finished with,” she said. “If there is a real big dip in the grades, or you can tell some senioritis has kicked in, I have seen that affect admission.”

Despite common misconceptions, she said that seniors must finish this year strong because it will pave the way for college.

“When you get to college, you’re putting money to your study skills, your time commitment and your work ethic,” she said. “You want to have the foundation in high school so that when you’re paying for your education in the college, you have those skills to be successful.”

While grades are an important part in the college hunt, motivation to get through the rest of senior year is in high demand.

Heidi Anderson, senior, has slowly checked out, finding herself caught in the grasp of senioritis.

“In Econ we were supposed to fill out this thing for a job interview and I didn’t,” Andeson said. “I didn’t know it was for points and he was like ‘get it out, it’s for points’ and I’m like ‘oh’.”

Not only that, but she said she has had a lot of late work due to the relentless symptoms.

“All of my art projects, every single one. None of them have been turned in on time,” she said. “I sometimes go talk to people instead of actually working on them. Not the smartest decision.”

Regardless of the lack of motivation, she said she is excited to get a jump start on her career.

“I am going to go to [Kansas] State,” she said. “I got into their pre-vet scholars program, so if I maintain a 3.3 science GPA, I will automatically be admitted into vet school after I complete the prerequisites.”

Seniorits tends to have a negative connotation attached with it, but according to Lisa Hatz, Rockwood School District counselor, it can affect seniors in a positive way as well.

“I think it can motivate some students and help them to learn time management and planning and organization skills,” Hatz said. “My experience with senioritis did not involve losing motivation–it actually had the opposite effect on me. I worked extra hard so I could graduate early and move on with my goals post-graduation.”

Why it tends to impact students in a negative way, she said, depends on how the student views high school, and if the necessary classes to graduate pertain to the career path he or she may go into.

“I think of it more as a response to how a student views the ending of high school and where that fits within the next chapter of their lives and goals set beyond graduation,” she said. “A lot of students who don’t find the traditional academic path relevant to their goals, or it doesn’t come so naturally for their learning style, it’s a less enjoyable experience. So, they’re looking more at the end of high school as a relief. It’s behind them.”