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Sam Dowd

Perspectives

Senioritis

500

Senioritis has set in at Sacred Heart University.

Graduation is just under two months away and seniors are checking out. But this

is neither new, nor specific to Sacred Heart. Kathy LaFontana, associate professor and

chair of the psychology department, suggests a study out of the University of Illinois for

evidence of the Senior Slump as far back as 1949.

Gerald Carter, a researcher at the University of Illinois asked instructors at Purdue

University to rate their students over the course of their eight terms in college. The

students were evaluated in several different categories such as cooperation, responsibility

and physical stamina. The decline in the senior year is rather striking, notes Carter in

the study. He wasnt able to determine a specific reason for the slump, but said it was

probably due to a somewhat wholesome declaration of independence on the part of the

students.

Senioritis has set in for senior Katie Higgins. I don't have solid plans for after

graduation yet. They are in the works though, and I know that once I get these plans

finalized senioritis is going to be 10 times worse.

Senior Briana Berberich has a similar take. Senioritis has definitely set in this

semester and I don't want to do anything, and nor do I think I should do anything, she

said. Senioritis for me feels like an annoyance with classes and professors. I feel like

they shouldn't be giving us any work because it's our last semester.

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For some seniors who still have work to do, thoughts on senioritis are different.

Senior Jen Kinney said, I'm not sure if senioritis has set in yet, I still have to write my

thesis. In addition to work, part of the difference is in what is next for her. Kinney said,

I was ready to move on, yet now theres this whole big world out there that Im not

completely ready for.

She said her experience with senioritis in college is very different from her

experience in High School. In high school, once I got into Sacred Heart I kind of

checked out, she said. Now, two months from graduation, I only have a part time job

lined up for when I graduate and I havent heard about grad school yet.

According to LaFontana, this bout of senioritis is nothing she hasnt seen before.

I have seen senioritis set in every year that I have been at Sacred Heart. Sometimes it

is a little worse than other times, she said. If the weather is really nice, and if there are

frequent breaks (like Spring Break and Easter Break), especially when those breaks are

close together, everyone is distracted, not just seniors. But it seems that seniors are more

susceptible to these distractions because they are so close to the end of their studies.

While Berberich, Kinney, Higgins, and the rest of the Class of 2010 may be

well on their way to freedom, Higgins noted the one thing keeping her grounded. With

graduation around the corner, its so hard to focus, but there is always that scary factor of

knowing that if you dont pass your classes you wont graduate. I think thats pretty much

what is keeping me in check right now.

Kathy LaFontana- email

Jen Kinney- email

Katie Higgins- email

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Briana Berberich- email

U.Illinois study- Suggested by Kathy, found online