Writing this headline is killing me, and other thoughts from an exhausted senior

Click to enlarge. Graphic by Allison Struck.

Meghan Bogardus
April 3, 2012

As the weather gets warmer and the semester draws to a close, there is an affliction sweeping across campus like a toxic gas. It’s exhausting and crippling. It is the reason why writing this paragraph of text has taken me an hour. And, it’s entirely fictional.

The “disease,” as I’d prefer to call my total lack of motivation to move, is senioritis, and while WebMd may not recognize this plague, it is the cause of many skipped classes, shoddy papers and my inability to write this story for the past three weeks.

I’m not alone. Cory Gates, senior psychology major, agrees that it’s increasingly more difficult to focus as graduation approaches.

“I’ve worked really hard throughout the past four years, and I feel like I am losing momentum,” Gates said. “I have been focusing my attention on grad school and job applications because, at this point, I feel like they’re more important.”

English Lecturer Matthew Shank said he can tell students suffering from senioritis because they are slacking in course work and class attendance.

Although he graduated from Kent State in 1979 with a degree in news journalism, he didn’t feel the need to cut class or procrastinate.

“By the time I was a senior I had no real idea what I wanted to do after I graduated, so I was in no particular hurry for that day to come,” Shank said.

So if you are suffering from lethargy, indifference and exhaustion, check our symptom guide for some fabulous tips to get you through the next month. I should know, it only took me that long to write them.

(Note: I am not a doctor, just a graduating senior who has recently taken up a two-nap-a-day habit.)

Contact Meghan Bogardus at [email protected].