You’re finally in your senior year; you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are now. But you find yourself stuck in a dilemma. You are experiencing a serious case of senioritis; you are tired, unmotivated and feel like you’ve done enough school over the last 18+ years that this year should be a free giveaway. A kind of “study for 17 years, get the 18th one free”, type of thing. And on the other hand, this is your last year, after all, so you don’t really want to miss out on any experiences. These two coming together is where the dilemma comes into play. You’ll either fill your schedule to the maximum or stay in bed and do the bare minimum.
What maximizes both of these feelings is also the fact that we’ve been locked up because of COVID for a good chunk of our time at school. So now, for many of us, our social energies are very low and it is easy for us to stick to our new habit of not doing anything. However, we are social creatures, after all, and the fact that things are opening up again means that we really want to try to make up for missed opportunities and do everything we can possible.
Also, the fact that this is your last year means time is ticking; very soon you’ll be out of school. School clubs: gone. Student discounts: gone. Group study sessions: gone. Your Spotify student rate is (almost) gone, and life as you know it will forever change. This panic mode is exactly what makes you want to seize every opportunity, every student activity, every fun weekend and every new exciting project coming your way.
However, the day, before whatever it is that you signed up for when you were on a high, finally comes and a grey cloud positions itself right above your head. Suddenly, you are sleepy and tired and not really sure how you got yourself into this position. Your thought process looks something like this: “Oh my God, what have I done to myself? Did I need to add this to my plate?” You have no energy to do the assignment, you don’t want to listen to your recorded lectures. What you really want to do is get a warm cup of coffee and watch your favourite Netflix shows.
Some days, you’ll find yourself stuck in a million different things you accidentally signed up for, and on others, you’ll allow yourself to snuggle up in a blanket and doze off. At the end of the day, your senior year will be memorable because it is your final year. So, make sure to find your balance and make the best of your last year, in whatever way you see fit. And along the journey, you’ll find your way back to a new “normal”.
Happy senior year; make sure to give yourself the time to soak it in!