Every year, you may notice a pack of zombie-like students roaming down the hallways. If, by any chance, you notice these people, chances are they are the seniors, already struggling with senioritis. 

Senioritis, according to the internet, is defined as “a colloquial term used to describe the decreased motivation to study, usually apparent among students at the end of their high school year”. These students most significantly experience symptoms such as laziness, lack of motivation, large amounts of stress, and hopelessness. 

Considering the fact that it’s only mid-October, it may seem too soon for the Class of 2021 to be struggling with senioritis, but in a time when we are obliged to have our masks on 24/7, it seems to have affected us, as seniors, too early. Many say that the Class of 2020 was the class of “COVID-19”. For the Class of 2021, I would say that we are the class of “worries” – nothing is certain and anything could happen at any time. 

Of course, most of our stress is coming from academics. The IBO has already proposed an amendment to the IB program for the Class of 2021 – many papers have suddenly disappeared from the May exams and curriculums have been amended. 

Having seen the IB exams cancelled for the Class of 2020 this May, we have no choice but to imagine the worst-case scenario – our own IB exams getting cancelled next year. In the midst of such a busy time, bombarded with deadlines for our extended essay, internal assessments, and university applications, these unpredictable future plans are yet another worrying factor that triggers additional stress for us. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is definitely still causing us much more stress that we must cope with. With the COVID-19 situation only getting worse in Hessen, many are currently anxious about another potential lockdown, meaning that another long, boring period of DLP learning might stand ahead of us. We must bear in mind how fortunate we are to be able to continue our learning even in DLP, but it can’t be ignored that learning outside classrooms without friends and teachers decreases our motivation to learn. 

With so many restrictions regarding safety in our communities, many activities are already restricted, with many more potentially at risk. The current situation raises so many questions among us – Will prom be happening? Will we go back to DLP anytime soon? What will our graduation look like? At the moment, no one can predict what might happen in the near future. Hopefully, a vaccination is developed very soon, but considering the immense numbers of patients worldwide, this can never be said firmly. The only thing we can do right now is trying to stay motivated. We must think positively and maintain persistence