One after another, seniors are becoming stricken with a disease known as Senioritis. Senioritis is no joke; five out of every four seniors at Joliet West are now stricken with this disease.

What is Senioritis you may ask? Senioritis is a disease that mostly affects seniors and causes seniors’ motivation levels to go down dramatically. Symptoms include: procrastination, lack of motivation, laziness, lack of studying, and the desire to not come to school. Unlike other illnesses, you cannot catch Senioritis, Senioritis catches you.

Once the disease has spread to you, you quickly become consumed by the symptoms. You have no place to turn, no one to go to, and there is nothing you can do. The road to getting rid of it is long and difficult, and during that time, it will affect you negatively. There is no way to avoid it, so don’t try and hide because Senioritis will find you.

One senior who has been stricken by the disease is no other than senior Skylar Chism. When asked how she has been affected she replied, “Well my sleeping patterns have been completely screwed up to the point where I’ve experienced sleep paralysis because I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning for a whole week out of guilt of not even attempting to do my homework.”

A major problem caused by Senioritis is failing grades and the fight to maintain them. “Homework has become such a drag to do, and it stinks because it can break your grade and there is nothing you can do,” adds Stephanie Martinez, another victim of Senioritis. Failure to do homework makes it difficult to maintain grades. Difficulty to maintain grades happens to be one of the most negative effects of Senioritis.

Research is limited and there is no known cure, but Senioritis tends to diminish after graduation. Chsim says, “There needs to be more research done because Senioritis needs a quicker cure than graduation.”

For underclassmen, beware. Senioritis affects most every senior and you are no exception. In a few years, you will most likely become sick, so it’s better to understand it now. Knowing what to expect will help you better deal with the symptoms.