At a certain point in the school year, all graduating seniors suffer from the same contagion. It’s not an illness where you’re wrapped in a blanket, eating chicken noodle soup beside a box of tissues, rather the symptoms include skipping classes and allowing one’s grades to slip.

This contagion is called “senioritis.”

Merriam-Webster defines senioritis as “an ebbing motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.”

High school seniors preparing for college know the end is in sight and lack the motivation to finish. Homework seems pointless; classes are a drag.

We also procrastinate until the project we were avoiding is due in… 10 minutes. Usually, we procrastinate to hangout with friends or binge-watch our favorite Netflix series.

I can attest to this.

Some nights I know I should be finishing an assignment, but then a friend texts me or I get so caught up in “Grey’s Anatomy” that I push the schoolwork aside.

But senioritis can’t win this battle. If we don’t complete important assignments and maintain our GPA’s, colleges can rescind acceptance letters and even graduation can be placed in jeopardy.

While there’s no known cure for senioritis, finding study methods that suit you best and setting achievable goals can help keep it at bay and assure every senior crosses the stage in June.