Welcome to the end of Week Eight. While that may seem to be an arbitrary number, it proves we have reached the half-way point. Just as much is behind us, as is in front of us until we reach the light at the end of the tunnel that is summer.

This week, some of us might be saying good-bye to our eight-week-long classes, and others just might be starting to say hello to them. And then there are those of us currently scrambling to check if we signed up for any second-half-of-the-semester courses, maybe in kinesiology or educational psychology.

Normally, I never think much about what the last eight weeks of class mean, but this semester there is a bit different of a feel to it. I wish I could say it is the sadness of graduating in about two months. The sadness of leaving behind the safety that my undergraduate career has brought to me. Or maybe sadness that I should have been filled with when I heard the Fall 2013 course listings were out and I could not register.

And with that there comes some security, too. After registering, you know what you are going to do in the near future. You know you still had some control.

But to me, the last eight weeks reminds me just how little focus I have this entire semester.

Thank you, senioritis.

All of the motivation I have had for the last 3 ½ years seems to have deteriorated overnight.

For many of us, senioritis is in full swing. Freshman, I know most of you had senioritis last year. You were accepted into the University, and you just could not wait to graduate from high school and become a semi-adult.

But guess what. The senioritis you experienced then is nothing like what the senior class is experiencing now. Fear is much more prominent then it was as we were leaving high school. Plans are not always set in stone at this point. Many of us are still waiting to hear from graduate schools, internships and, of course, the real world — jobs. 

I hate to break it to you underclassmen, but senioritis gets much worse over time. Not better.

But fear not, for those who, like I, are suffering from this atrocious disease. There are ways to combat it:

1. Try something new on campus that you have not fit in your schedule these last few years. Chances are, if you are suffering, it might be from all the free time from your light schedule. Try going to one of the cultural houses to see a guest speaker and get a free lunch. Just because you are finishing your degree does not mean you have learned everything about every culture in this country.

2. Assemble a list of everything you want to do within the next nine weeks. Have you rang the bells at Altgeld yet? Have you visited the observatory? What about taking a flight over campus? See a show at Krannert or watch an a cappella group. This campus has plenty of things to do to shake up the monotony of those 100-level gen-eds that you put off until your last semester.

3. Sit in a lecture for a class that you are not taking. While it may seem odd to go out of your way to go to another class, but when else are you going to have the chance to learn something just for fun? Maybe sit in on a psych or history course. Or try to sneak into your friend’s flower arranging or vegetable gardening course. I am sure your friends won’t mind (hopefully, maybe).

However, the ultimate mini-break is just around the corner. In just one week, we will all be heading our separate ways for spring break. So maybe if we can survive just one more week, senioritis will fix itself. Or at least become bearable enough for us to get out of bed in the morning to attend our extremely early classes.

Joanna is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].