Petzold: Fighting senioritis

Columnist Megan Petzold discusses how to combat senioritis in the last few months of a college career. 

Megan Petzold

Seniors! I know it’s hard, but now is not the time to give up or to binge watch Riverdale or Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix. No; now is the time to finish the degree we’ve been working so hard for all these years. Now is the time to summon all of our remaining strength and sprint to the finish line, May 7 or 8. That walk across the stage, your family there cheering for you and snapping as many pictures as their camera can take, will make these final steps and final moments all worth it. 

If the thought of finally being finished and out of college isn’t enough motivation for you, there are some things that you might be able to do to help combat “senioritis.” 

First of all, choosing to do the work in front of you first before, say, going out with friends or procrastinating to spend the night as a couch potato may help lift some of the pressure that you may be feeling. Procrastination is a familiar friend to all college students but something we have spent the last three, four, five or maybe more years combating against. 

Secondly, getting in job applications or graduate degree applications early will help ease the stress of not knowing what to do after graduation. Even if you have to work hard for a few weeks, it will pay off in the long run. Having something lined up for after graduation will allot for more time to spend studying for midterms or finals. Instead of getting bogged down trying to do everything at once, getting some of those things done during weeks, or even an hour, when we have a break.

Next, take some time in a day, or even take the weekend, to clean your space. Between online school and possibly at-home work, it is so easy to ignore the mess around you and focus on your task at hand. Having a clean, organized room, workspace, etc. can help declutter the mind as well and make one feel less stressed, which, in this situation, can only help. 

Lastly, taking time for yourself and appreciating how hard you’ve worked to get where you are now are the keys to staying away from senioritis. As easy as it is to think, “I’ll graduate either way, why bother?”, there is still so much to learn in the two short months we have left. You never know, the last two months of class might contain information that you’ll need in the job you secured. On the other side of that, appreciating where you’ve gotten to and taking time for yourself in the day is the only way you can get through the last few months of the semester sane. 

To conclude, keep up the fight, seniors! You can do it, you’re so close! Try the tips above and finish off your college career strong.