“It’s fine to just live in the now, but the best part about now, is there’s another one tomorrow. And I’m going to start making them count.” –The Spectacular Now.

The season of being a second semester senior brings in a surge of hope and wonder. There is a sense of awe about it because you know you won’t be attending the same school anymore next year. Well, the only way to really attend high school again next year was if you fall deep down into the pit of senioritis.  So you try to live in the moment as much as you can with the people you know you won’t see or even talk to as much in a matter of months. With the majority of college apps done and academia slowly losing its priority while seniors eagerly wait to hear back from colleges, weeknights may consist of going out with friends or staying up late doing nothing.

Senioritis was a word we’ve known all too well throughout our time in high school. It was a feeling or sensation that we were either anticipated or were told to beware of. Senioritis is like a feeling of relief from all sense of responsibility. Symptoms can include: chick-fil-a runs all the way to Sunnyvale on a Wednesday night, going shopping instead of working on that essay, staying in watching netflix instead of reading the 12 page packet your teacher assigned you to read or barely coming to class at all. Now that seniors have Teacher Office Hours off, there is more time to spend hanging out with friends doing things like driving the scenic routes with the windows down and the music blasting. Making moments that you know won’t last show that it’s possible to feel nostalgic even when you’re living in that very instant.

Senioritis infects everyone differently and some say it is even contagious. However, there may be some who are immune. Julie Wing said, “I thought it was gonna be less stressful but it hasn’t been so far. Everyone says that this season of the year is supposed to be a breeze, but it’s not. You still have to stress about colleges”. Some seniors may still feel the stress and pressure of school that not even senioritis could attack. There still is a handful of people still committed to their studies, as some colleges do require reports every grading period. However, those who are becoming blase to the rigorous academia find themselves to be more blithe about the workload.

The upside of senioritis is that it pushes you to live in the now and spend time with your best friends before the moments now become only memories in your mind. High school moves by so quick and these few months you have left move by even quicker. In the blink of an eye we’ll have our last Aquacades, Prom, and chance to win a spirit point event. The best way to ride out this senior semester is to have fun, take risks, build good habits, and be patient with what’s to come next. These are times that in years from now we’ll reminisce on  and tell our kids about, so don’t be in such a rush and remember that the present is a gift.