According to a recent study, doctors have found that the virus known as “senioritis” is once again on the rise, and if students don’t exercise caution, high schools everywhere could potentially have an epidemic on their hands.

The study found that the disease predominantly affects high school seniors, but some cases have been reported in juniors who stopped caring earlier than most.

Senioritis is predominantly characterized by an expression of total apathy from students in regards to their school work and grades. Most seniors experience senioritis at least once in their high school careers, but some are much better equipped to deal with the virus than others. Students who are more highly motivated and driven by the grades they receive tend to have a higher ability to fight off the disease, whereas students who give up and just want the year to end are more susceptible to senioritis.

By senior year, many students are completely worn out with high school and long for the sweet release of summer vacation, making them more prone to contracting the disease. Freshman are the least likely to develop the virus, since they are relatively new to the high school experience and are less burned out by an overload of homework or excessive amount of projects. Not to mention, students are reaching the final stretch in senior year, making the end more enticing and increasing their propensity to come down with senioritis.

The first outbreaks of senioritis begin occurring after college applications have been sent in, when teachers see minor symptoms beginning to surface in their students. However, the severity of the disease sharply increases around the fourth marking period, when the school year starts drawing to a close and seniors have been accepted into college.

Due to the disease’s deadliness to the grades of students, teachers are being advised to look out for indications of the disease in their classes. Symptoms of senioritis include the inability to complete homework, sleepiness in class, out-of-control procrastination, a lack of motivation,  the excessive wearing of sweatpants, and in some extreme cases, repeated absences from class and a major decline in grades.

Senioritis is easily self-diagnosable, but unfortunately, this knowledge rarely sparks any action in the seniors. Although friends of the student can detect signs of the disease, these friends are usually also suffering from senioritis themselves since it is highly contagious. If students start to notice signs of senioritis in any of their friends or fellow students, they should immediately report it, as early intervention is crucial to helping a student recover.

“The virus has really taken ahold of a lot of my friends,” comments Caroline Carr ’16. “So many fellow seniors have started showing symptoms of it, and sometimes I think even I have it too!”

As of now, there is no known cure for senioritis besides high school graduation. Since the recuperation is up to each individual student, doctors are having difficulty developing a treatment for the virus. Recovery currently lies solely in the student’s ability to self-motivate and finish the year.

Recovery is often essential to a senior’s graduation. Despite popular belief, a student’s senior year grades are still vital to getting into college. Many colleges still look at senior year grades, so letting them slip could prove deadly. Colleges have withdrawn their acceptances if they noticed a slip in grades, since they believe it signifies a lack of motivation or responsibility. Moreover, many students take AP tests in May, which can help them gain college credits, so it is important for them to remain focused on their studies. Untreated senioritis can result in fallen GPAs or lower AP test scores.

Many doctors also recommend teaching the younger students, especially freshmen and sophomores, about the dangers of this disease so they may prevent it in the future. Some prevention techniques include setting specific times for homework and sticking to them, avoiding potential distractions, refusing to give into peer pressure of other students who may already have the disease, and staying focused on maintaining grades and test scores.

Abby Roos ’18 expresses her fears of the virus: “I really hope I don’t catch senioritis; it seems awful. Luckily, I’m only a sophomore, so I have time to learn how to prevent it.” Juniors are urged to take necessary precautions, as they may very well be the next victims of this deadly disease.