Class of 2014 Embraces Senior Spring

“Senioritis”—a behavioral change in seniors often characterized by unfinished assignments, unattended classes and disinterested attitudes—may soon return with the arrival of warmer weather. Yet seniors and teachers interviewed said that while seniors may slack off from time to time, they are still, for the most part, keeping the need to play at bay.

“It depends on what courses you take. [In my case,] since I am getting my classics diploma, I put a good deal of effort into my languages, but once you start doing senior electives, the pressure decreases by a lot,” senior Nina Meyers said. “At this point, some of us are just planning events like grad, prom, other dinners and figuring out how to transition to next year.”

Senior Jackie Kim agreed, and said “senioritis” is definitely not prevalent among seniors at Exeter.

“Seniors are putting in the same amount of effort. As a dear teacher said to me, ‘we're conditioned to do homework,’” Kim said. “I feel like the effort put in is almost exactly the same as any other term—I am certainly doing the best I can. I honestly think senioritis is a myth; no one wants to get C's during his or her last term at Exeter.”

Some seniors, however, noticed reduced effort among their peers.

“I would say that there is less effort and motivation overall, but it is more evident in some classes than in others,” senior Sarah Hannigan said. 

“Everyone keeps up with the work because it is collected or because it would be very easy to fall behind.”

Many faculty members and students, however, agreed that “senioritis” is common among students and that in many cases, the loss of academic fervor is obvious.

English Department Chair Lundy Smith noted that compared to other terms, spring term classes do have a slight increase in the number of seniors who seem to neglect their work.

“What was interesting for me this year is I would say that I taught the same elective in the fall term and my fall kids were far more on task as a whole than in the spring term courses. In my spring term classes, in each class, most of those kids are great. They are on task, they are doing their reading and they are doing the homework. But there is definitely slippage at the edges,” Smith said.

Smith also emphasized that all students eventually experience “senioritis” and that the only disadvantage is the lack of academic virtue. 

“I think it’s a natural rite of passage for every student to level out his or her education,” he said. “Teachers also forgot that probably we went through it, too. It gets frustrating because we want to have the integrity of the classroom preserved until the end.”

Senior Philip Decker also commented on the inevitability of “senioritis” and said that the behavioral change is not only understandable, but to some extent, a privilege of being a senior.

“After three and a one third years of Exeter, it is understandable why this might occur. The spring mindset of ‘it doesn’t matter anymore’ might not be the best way to approach school, but it is more or less unavoidable,” Decker said. 

Senior Joohwan Kim, however, said that seniors should never take their last term in Exeter lightly. He felt that college decisions is the main cause of “senioritis” and the only reasons why students lose their focus and endeavor.

“College is the main cause of senioritis. College is what drives humanities kids to do their chemistry homework,” Kim said. 

“It shouldn't be a breeze by any means—we're here to be intellectually stimulated even if we're all into college,” he added.

Kim continued, saying that some seniors initially register for advanced courses for an “impressive resume,” instead of intellectual curiosity. He noted that in most cases, those students end up “crossing the line from chill to outright lazy.”

Decker, however, emphasized that despite the natural tendency for seniors to be relaxed during the spring term, as students of Exeter, no students completely disregard their basic responsibilities as a student. “We’re still Exonians and we still have something resembling a work ethic, if only residual,” he said.

Although there is no easy solution for promoting the desire of learning and intellectual curiosity among seniors during spring, Smith said that teachers should try to keep seniors interested and busy.

“I think what we should always be thinking as teachers is that we have to try to figure out the best way to keep our kids engaged,” he said. 

“It is one of the reasons why a number of schools have gone to senior projects in the spring. I would like to see Exeter’s curriculum move to more independent projects in the spring as well.”

Smith also explained that spring term for seniors is a transition period in which preparation for both the end of their Exeter career and the beginning of college life transpire.

“The seniors are coming to the end of part of their life that marks their childhood and the start of their adulthood,” Smith said.