We all know the definition of this word, and we’ve have suffered from this chronic illness at some point. In high school especially, we craved to graduate and move on with our lives. We’d be “adults” – away from home, making our own decisions, meeting new people, and slowly (sometimes painfully) learning the meaning of responsibility. This constant looking forward caused us to be bored with our lame classes and activities.
Fast forward another 4 years. College is nearly over, and GW seniors only have one more semester to go. Admittedly, a different type of senioritis is sinking in, clouding everything else. For the most part, we’ll have to take the quotation marks away and really move toward adulthood – get jobs, an apartment, go to graduate school, move abroad. Our responsibilities will shift from completing our assignments on time to actually surviving by ourselves. However, with graduation comes real independence. The terrifying part (for many friends and me, at least) is the sheer amount of options available to us after May. Graduate school, getting a job, teaching English abroad, work abroad, joining the Peace Corps, and the list goes on. For some, marriage and starting a family may even fall into their near future. On top of this, all of these options can occur in the next 5 years in any order of your choosing. All in all, this senioritis is the looking forward to the great adventure your life and job will take you on while worrying about your survival skills.
It’s an exciting time, but also a sad one. Arguably, college friends can become closer than high school friends, and it is sad to think of their distance after graduation. If seniors leave GW, they’ll have to slightly miss the Hippo, the Lincoln Memorial a few blocks away, or at least GW Deli. I can certainly promise you though that I will not be missing term papers or final exams.
The mindset of a GW senior. Embracing the remaining time on campus, but looking forward to all the future will bring.