As the excitement of winter break slowly fizzles out and the lull of the back to school grind sinks in, seniors face to ultimate decision: to try, or not to try?

With first semester finals drawing to a close two weeks ago marking the completion of the seventh semester seniors have spent in the halls of PV High, some chose to sit back and enjoy the ride of their final months in high school. Often times this sort of “relaxation” manifests itself in less than stellar homework grades, very sophisticated pajama wardrobes, and a laundry list of absences.

“My senioritis is definitely setting in,” says senior, Lauren White, “I just feel burnt out and am ready to enjoy the last semester of high school.”

The teachers on campus are seeing the effects of the first wave of senioritis already.

“I don’t expect seniors to show up to my classes,” says teacher Louis Harley, “especially in my zero and sixth period classes, absences are mainstream.”

Senioritis is a common condition that sets in as a result of being burnt out by greuling school pressures and college applications, and the condition is made worse due to lack of emphasis placed on second semester senior year grades. Some colleges request mid year reports from the first semester of senior year, but, past that, grades are not taken into account for admissions. Although schools can revoke admission if a student slacks off too much, the threat of failing is weak compared to the allure of relaxing through second semester.

“I am going to feel so relieved and spend a lot less time worrying about school,” says senior, Amy Davin.

In addition to the relief from the pressures to maintain grades, some seniors have already heard back from schools and are content with their admissions. This feeling of acceptance helps usher in the senioritis epidemic.

“Once I found out I got into a few schools from Early Action, I felt really relieved,” says senior Amanda Trujillo. “I stopped trying so hard and took a deep breath.”

Senoritis, although a concerning epidemic, is also a celebration of the last few months of high school. Seniors take this time to enjoy the niceties that high school has to offer without the stress of grades. Thus, second semester senior year is a time to sit back and sip that sweet senior kool aid.