Student Outlook -- Gracie R. Kazer

High school has always been thought of as a time of great development

and learning, which in turn introduces various forms of pressure and

realistic predicaments. In our society, full of fierce competition and

turmoil, students are eagerly encouraged to excel academically at an

early age so that they have more opportunities to choose from in the

future.

College is often a step that students choose to take after high

school, and to get to that level, years of hard work and academic

dedication is necessary. While being a diligent student is never easy, it

seems to be even more of a challenge for high school seniors, who at this

point have less than one semester left before starting a new chapter in

their lives.

Symptoms such as the extreme inability to stay awake in class or the

lack of motivation to complete basic assignments combine to make what is

commonly called “senioritis.” While it is capable of striking at any

time, the vast majority of students seem to find themselves being most

severely plagued during their second semester of senior year.

By this time, many have already established their plans for the

following year and, in comparison, high school seems unbelievably dull

and irrelevant.

College acceptances are great. They provide students with a marvelous

sense of comfort and positive anticipation. However, they also tempt

students to fall into a world of complete academic laziness and

inactivity. Once their spot is reserved, it seems that the work has paid

off and the idea of struggling through three more months of school seems

pointless.

Something that most of those afflicted with senioritis do not seem to

be aware of (or choose to ignore), is the fact that many colleges today

do look at grades from both semesters of senior year. Should an

admissions board fall upon some disappointing grades, it is always a

possibility that a students’ acceptance could be revoked.

University of California schools are notorious for using eighth

semester grades as a final admission factor. The truth is that although

much of senior year is focused on waiting for results and various forms

of celebration, there are still responsibilities that must be taken care

of. It would be terrible to limit oneself after making it this far,

especially when it was due to something so ridiculous as being lazy.

After years of hard work and a great amount of anxiety, the entire

class of 2002 has a lot to look forward to, assuming their performance in

the next few months remains adequate. Being a senior means being

recognized for past accomplishments and being prepared to tackle new

ones.

There is a lot of fun that goes along with it as well, and one should

enjoy every moment of it, as long as their current actions won’t harm

them later on. It is completely normal for slight cases of senioritis to

occur, and probably even healthy. Moderation is the key in this case,

just as it is in many other situations.

Good luck to the rest of the senior class in getting through the next

few months without too much difficulty.

* GRACIE R. KAZER is a Corona del Mar High School senior whose columns

will appear on an occasional basis in the Community Forum section.