The beginning of each new school year not only welcomes a bright-eyed group of eager freshmen, but also a fresh batch of seniors ready to face down their final terms of college.
Preparing to graduate and thinking about what’s next in life, while in the meantime focusing on their capstones and other strenuous classes, is the lot of a college senior. For some NCC students, returning for their last go around can feel a little bittersweet.
“It’s definitely a mix of emotions,” said senior Danni Werner (’18). “You can see the end and I’m excited. But North Central has been my home and it’s sad I won’t be here anymore.”
Senioritis is a mixture of all these feelings. The plague manifests in stress about class loads and uncertainty of the future. Some underclassmen may scoff at such an illness. Some seniors have felt its claws dig in even before their final year.
“I think I had senioritis last year,” said NCC senior Brittany Schultz (’18). “I just want to get it done. I’m graduating early, too.”
Finishing classes and tying up your academic loose ends is the other primary catalyst for senioritis. A lot of seniors worry about their final capstone courses for their major(s). Some even find themselves stuck in other courses they may have put off until now.
Senior Jake Kola (’18) isn’t having trouble mustering the strength to finish his final courses for his majors, but some of the “gen ed” classes that he has to take are “like pulling teeth.”
Whether struggling with the symptoms senioritis or conquering it, seniors agreed that the ailment doesn’t feel too different from the stress you get in any other year of tough college classes. And the cure? Enjoy what time you have left and focus on the classes that stand between you and your hard-earned diploma.
Natalie Stefka (’18) says she has a pretty long year ahead, “But it does feel good to get back in the swing of things, though.”
