Senioritis

Senioritis is a colloquial term mainly used in the United States and Canada to describe the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college, and graduate school careers. It combines the word senior with the suffix -itis, which technically denotes inflammation but in colloquial speech is assumed to mean a general illness.

Writer James Coleman, Chairman of the President's Panel of Youth, urged changes in the high school curriculum to address the problem of senioritis. These concerns gave rise to the implementation of a "Senior Semester" in many high schools throughout the country, which allowed seniors to spend time outside of the school or attend seminars in their specific interests. In 1974, for example, McKeesport Area High School in Pennsylvania received a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to establish a "Senior Semester" Program. The Evaluation Report for Senior Semester Program 1974-75 McKeesport Area Senior High School, McKeesport, Pennsylvania was produced by the Office of Measurement and Evaluation, University of Pittsburgh, July 1975. The Director's Report for Senior Semester Program 1974-75 by Dr. Lester F. Jipp can be found at ERIC ED 157 165.

The College Board, the National Youth Leadership Council, and other youth-serving organizations suggest that there are many ways schools can help young people make the most of their senior year instead of succumbing to the temptation to take it easy once graduation is assured. Giving young people opportunities to make their academic work more meaningful through service-learning, or other forms of experiential education, can increase students' academic aspirations.

...
Wikipedia