by Candice Navi
There is an infectious disease infiltrating the minds and spirits of Harvard-Westlakeâs class of 2010. The symptoms are pretty clear: a nonexistent work ethic, a âwhateverâ attitude, increasingly creative forms of procrastination and an inability to think properly. Yes, Iâve been infected with Junioritis, or early onset Senioritis, and it is making its way through the rest of the junior class.
I remember when my naïve sophomore self was convinced that I could never catch such a silly ailment. I had the work ethic of a determined and eager student and I was starting to take classes I really liked. Junior year would be a cinch. Turns out my id is a little stronger than I had anticipated.
Every so often I would take a break here, watch one television show there and sneak in a few extra minutes on Facebook and AIM. Before I knew it, I was avoiding my homework at all costs. I would rather run errands for my parents or paint my nails â my personal record is repainting my nails 3 times in one week. A friend of mine realized that, at 11:14 p.m., her backpack was still in her car. Performing simple math equations that would normally take me a second or two to complete can now take up to about a minute
(9-18+9=â¦0).
Before APâs, my case of Junioritis had been fairly mild â Iâve always been a procrastinator â but I had also begun losing interest in the very classes I had been so excited to take. I began to wonder if they were really worth all the mounds of homework and tests.
Even though my AP Human Geography class has been over for over a week, all three of the books for the course are in my backpack.
After realizing this last night, I racked my brain for the hidden reason and finally found it; after five years at Harvard-Westlake, Iâve convinced myself that if my backpack is heavier, I am a more responsible student. On Thursdays I have to pick between watching the newest episode of âThe Officeâ and doing my homework.
Last year I easily would have picked my homework, but now I try to reach a compromise between them by watching the show and staying up as late as necessary to finish my homework. I usually pass out on the couch in the first minutes of the show and wake up at 3 a.m. disoriented and confused as to why I was watching a Sham-Wow infomercial.
The reason is so obvious and clear: just like the common cold, there is no cure. As juniors before us and the ones to come after did, we must outlive the disease in order to reach the glories of senior year, which comes with its own woes and illnesses, Senioritis in particular. So to my fellow burntâout juniors, indulge yourselves. Why bother compromising anymore? Either do your work or leave it for tomorrow.
Personally, trying to do a combination of the two just makes me more distracted and my
homework is neglected in the process.
