Students navigate effects of senioritis as school year ends

By Lydia Chapman

Contributor

Brandon Mancio, a graphic design major, is navigating what he thought was a post-spring break slump, but has decided it’s likely the phenomenon known as “senioritis.

“I think having senioritis in college is stressful because you are trying to figure out what you will do after college. You are about to go out into the real world, so I think there is more guilt and more pressure because you have to figure out how to be an adult,” said Mancio.

According to Trevecca counselor Crayton Croan, senioritis manifests itself differently in every person, but it is a type of burnout due to prolonged stress. College seniors are trying to figure out what they want to do with their life and must navigate applying for jobs, looking for apartments, and finishing up their classes.

“When seniors are struggling to cross that finish line, I want them to remember to look back and see how far they have come because, at this point, they only have a couple more weeks, and then it is all over,” said Croan.

According to a 2024 study done by Handshake, a career platform, 29% of 2024 college graduates found that they experienced burnout during their time as an undergraduate. Burnout is “a state of chronic stress or exhaustion students may feel due to the many demands they face.”

If seniorities is a type of burnout due to prolonged stress, the cure is finding ways to relax and take a breath. Sometimes, even having some self-care time is a good idea, said Croan.

“The big thing when it comes to managing senioritis is self-care. Self-care is your main line of defense, and that means making time to do things for yourself because they make you happy or make you less stressed,” he said.

Some students like Claudia Nuñez Ovideo, the senior class president, have learned to live in the moment because the sun is setting on their time as Trevecca students.

“Being present is something I have been working on a lot. In the mornings, I’ll go to the UC rooftop, watch the Nashville skyline, and remember all the friends I’ve made at Trevecca. Knowing that my time here is running out, I have been staying up late, sometimes until midnight, just talking with my friends,” said Ovideo.

The seniors are not just passing the torch to the juniors. They are also passing advice down. Despite being juniors, the senioritis bug bit them as well. Some juniors on campus have said they feel the pressures of being a senior and are still in their junior year.

“My advice to rising seniors or other seniors is just go easy on yourselves. It’s perfectly normal to feel burnout or loss of motivation after doing three or four years of school. But keep pressing on because the finish line is almost here,” said Mancio.