An old plague hits USF St. Petersburg

BY BEN FRY
STAFF WRITER 

A serious condition is making its way around college campuses. Students come down with this condition at the end of every semester, but it is especially common during the spring semester. It is contagious, and it can be devastating. And there is a name for it: senioritis.

And through a [very unscientific] investigation, this condition has been discovered at USF St. Petersburg.

According to the numerous articles written on senioritis, symptoms include procrastination, apathy toward schoolwork, tendency to be truant, faking illness to avoid classes or homework, cognitive impairments and changes in sleeping patterns.

If you feel as if there are jail bars on your classroom windows, your professors start sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher, or the mere mention of graduate school makes you feel sick, you may be suffering from senioritis, wrote Naomi Rockler-Gladen, a freelance writer and former professor at Colorado State University, in her top 10 list of signs that you suffer from senioritis (see the entire list at http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/blog.cfm/college_seniors_and_senioritis).

While it is not recognized as an actual medical condition, senioritis can have adverse effects on students whose graduate school acceptance or employment offers are rescinded because of a drop in performance during their last semester.

However, the most obvious symptom is an overwhelming urge to do nothing productive, which could be a bad thing for students who still have a lot of school work to do before the end of the semester.

“I would definitely say that I have that,” Lindsay Shevitz, a senior political science major, said about the symptoms.

Shevitz said even though she is almost finished, she finds herself trying to get by while doing the least amount of work possible.

“It’s a very normal experience,” Anita Saghal, a psychologist at USF St. Petersburg’s Center for Counseling, Health and Wellness, said.

Saghal said seniors get senioritis because they are transitioning from college to the next step in their lives. These students are sometimes burned-out and overwhelmed with finishing their degree and “just want to take a breath,” she said. This can lead students to be apathetic toward schoolwork.

The USF St. Petersburg psychologist said she sees these symptoms in students at all levels, but it is important for seniors to maintain their focus and remember what they are working toward. If they do not learn how to manage stress now “it sort of just carries on” into their next endeavor, whether that is graduate school or a career.

While graduating from college is a good thing, many seniors feel anxious about what comes after college.

Some students have senioritis because they do not know the answer to the question of “now what?” Terry Dowling, a career counselor in the USF St. Petersburg Career Center said.

“I went through it when I was an English major,” Dowling said. “I got out and said: ‘now what?’”

Tony Silvia, director of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, said he does not like the spring semester because of senioritis.

“The anxiety is contagious,” Silvia said. “The faculty becomes anxious. We catch it.”

From his experience, senioritis typically hits around spring break, when students finally have some free time and realize they are going to graduate and be free soon. He said he believes that despite the stress, deadlines and classes, college life represents structure and graduation is an end to that structure.

“It hits all the students at the same time that the answer to ‘what next?’ is ‘I don’t know,’” Silvia said.

He said when students at graduation ceremonies throw their graduation caps into the air, signifying their excitement at being done with college, the act is somewhat symbolic.

“Once the cap goes up, it comes down again,” he said. “You have to wonder if that’s a metaphor.”

Dowling said to avoid the fear and anxiety, it is best for students to begin planning their career paths during their first and second years of college. However, he said senior year is not too late to start thinking seriously about life after graduation.

The career center can help students plan their career paths, polish their resume and even practice interviewing skills to get ready for the transition, he said. There is also an online job Web site called Recruit-a-Bull that allows students to post resumes and search for jobs.

Dowling said he tries to build a bridge between the college world and the work world. His advice to students is to remember college degrees come with many transferable skills. Students looking for a job or career should combine their interests with their transferable skills. They should also remember it is not that bad if they graduate from college without a great job waiting for them.

“The first position you get isn’t forever,” he said. “It’s the beginning.”

To better manage senioritis, seniors should schedule regular breaks away from schoolwork. It is important to take some time off and seek social support from friends, family or even professors, Saghal said. They should also practice healthy lifestyle habits such as exercising and eating well. She said many burned-out students do not think about that.

“If they are doing more for themselves, it will take some of the pressure off,” Saghal said. “The better you are taking care of yourself, the better you can manage your stress. They go hand-in-hand.”

Clarisse Barbier, a senior psychology major, said she is not suffering from senioritis because she scheduled her hard classes first and saved the easier ones for the end of her college education “so I won’t have the pressure.” Barbier said she is planning to attend graduate school, and since her undergraduate degree is only the beginning of the process, there is no point in feeling burned out yet.

However, many students fail to do this to avoid exhaustion at the end of their college careers. When there is a big pile of work on the desk and deadlines are fast-approaching, a person suffering from acute senioritis can find it nearly impossible to keep working at the level necessary to finish strong.

“You just have no drive,” said Nicky Russell, a senior business management major who thinks it is hard to stay focused when suffering from senioritis.

Russell said he started feeling senioritis set in during first grade. To cope with the symptoms now, he exercises and gets motivation from his fiancee, who makes him study, he said.

Russell said when students are feeling burned-out, they have to sit down and force themselves to do the work. Even though he is less than a month away from graduation, senioritis makes it hard to find “that last little push to get done,” he said.

Shevitz said she keeps herself motivated by keeping her goals in mind and reminding herself that she is getting close to graduation.

“I just have to keep telling myself I’m almost there,” Shevitz said.