This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.
The spring semester has officially begun, which for those of us graduating in May means only one thing: senioritis. Maybe you’ve been suffering for months, or maybe it was finally triggered by the beginning of your final semester. Either way, here are some sure signs you’ve contracted senioritis:
1. You’re unmotivated as hell.
Everyone in college loses motivation at times, but senioritis brings a whole new level of procrastination. You’ve fought your way through three and a half years of college to get to this point, and you just don’t have enough give-a-damn left in the tank to keep you going until May.
2. School is taking a backseat to work/internships.
This is one I personally did not see coming. I’ve always been the kind of person to put school first and worry more about my grades than building my résumé. At some point over winter break, I did a 180 – now school feels like the annoyance and work feels like the priority. All I want to do is dedicate myself to my internship to prove I’m a valuable employee they should consider keeping after graduation, but school and homework are always there, pulling me away and demanding my time and attention.
You know exactly how many free absences you get in each course and how much your grade will be docked if you miss more than that.
4. You filled out your degree application ASAP.
The deadline isn’t until late February, but you filled that thing out months ago when your advisor first emailed you about it. Anything to get you one step closer to that diploma as fast as possible!
5. You spend more time on Handshake, Indeed, and other job sites than you do on ICON.
Homework gets shoved to the side in favor of searching for a job. Who has time for discussion posts when you’re busy writing cover letters or editing your résumé?
Chances are you’re finally 21 and trying to make the most of the college night life while you can, lest you become that sad alum who still comes back to party at the college bars in an attempt to hold on to the good ol’ days.
7. You care more about whether your classmates already have a job lined up than you do about what score they got on that last exam.
Nothing will send you into a panic quite like feeling you’re the only person in your class/friend group who doesn’t have a post-graduation job lined up yet. Take a deep breath though – life happens at a different pace for everyone.
Anna Schultz / Her Campus
8. You’ve already figured out how you’re going to decorate your cap for the commencement.
What? Who has a whole Pinterest board dedicated to cute cap designs? Definitely not me…
9. Your professor probably wouldn’t recognize you without sweatpants on.
If you’re going to go to class, you’re going to be comfy while doing it. You’ve long ago stopped cared about looking presentable for your fellow classmates. Props to that girl who still wears fake eyelashes to class every day though.
10. You’re equally sad and excited that your college career is almost over.
If you’re like me, you remember your first day of college like it was yesterday, not four years ago. And while you’re ready to GTFO of here, you’re also sad about what you’re leaving behind and know that it’ll never quite be like this again. So even if you’ve already got one foot out the door, remember to cherish it while it lasts; soon you’ll be in the ‘real world’ wishing you hadn’t wished for this time to go by so fast. Here’s to a semester full of lasts!
Paige Schlichte is a senior at the University of Iowa studying Journalism and Psychology. In her free time, you can find her drinking coffee, binge-watching Friends, or rereading Harry Potter for the umpteenth time.
