The home stretch of the fourth nine-weeks in the race of the school year is finally here. However, rather than being a sprint to the last day of school, the quarter marks the point where we all feel like slowing down. AP tests begin next month, with finals and final projects to be assigned not long after that. Most seniors, already settled on their plans for life after NASH, are currently experiencing the all-pervasive effects of senioritis. But there seems to be another set of undiagnosed symptoms, one that is plaguing the junior class.

I like to call it junioritis –– trying to stay afloat while suffering a burnout from seven months’ worth of honors and AP classes that juniors often load up on.

With junior year being prelabeled as the hardest year of high school, I certainly think it lives up to that title. I think I speak for the masses when I say that freshman and sophomore year weren’t nearly as challenging, and so there definitely wasn’t as much of a lack of effort towards the end of the year.

I know I’m experiencing junioritis right now. I’ve been getting the least amount of sleep during the last few weeks as compared to the entire school year, and more often than not, I find myself falling asleep in class and doing homework in homeroom and during lunch on the day it’s due. The “I can get an 86 this nine weeks and still get an A for the year” mindset for a few of my easier classes has forced me to put forth even less effort.

Especially with the advent of warm weather, I’d much rather spend time outside than be stuck indoors doing practice free response for AP tests. I also often find myself distracted thinking about what I’m going to do this summer while trying to stay focused.

I would imagine that senioritis would be much worse, but it’s really the unknown that drives much of junioritis to thrive. A select few of us have an exact idea of what they want to study after high school, and where exactly they want to go to college, and not having a clear goal to work towards can sometimes make the process a little more difficult. I know I can’t possibly be the only one that’s asked myself, “what’s the point of all of this?”

I know I’m not alone, though I asked about thirty juniors in my classes if they think any of the above symptoms of junioritis are real, or if they feel affected by junioritis. Pretty much all of them responded that they did feel its effects, with most of them agreeing with me that they currently care about their grades less than they did at the beginning of the year.

With our only time off of school between now and the end of the year being a four-day spring break (or “spring fake,” as I’ve heard) and a few random in-service days in May, we’re forced to mentally brace ourselves for the laborious amount of work, stress, and sleep deprivation that’s about to hit us in the next two months.

As of right now, it seems like the only known cure for junioritis is summer vacation. The thoughts of reduced responsibilities, time to relax, and traveling definitely keep me going, and sometimes, a little more motivated. Luckily, we only have forty more days to deal with this plague, and then we’ll be on our way.