As the school year starts to wind down and exam week is in sight, every high school junior hangs on for dear life. This pitiful second semester struggle has become known far and wide as “Junioritis." The epidemic of Junioritis is much more serious than Senioritis—the well-known senior lack of motivation and craving for summer. Its brutal side effects may include sleep deprivation and plummeting GPAs, among others. Even so, there is hope for every junior; together, we will survive.

The worst part about Junioritis is that it continues weeks after the seniors say goodbye to high school. The seniors have it easy; they get to start summer three weeks early. Juniors, on the other hand, must wave farewell and try not to envy the empty seats that now fill the classroom. It takes immense strength and respectable perseverance not to watch their Snapchat stories from the lake while we slave away on math homework. The hallways and the parking lot feel so empty, but the 8 A.M. bell never fails to remind us school’s not over.

While the seniors are out getting tan in the sunlight, we juniors are restricted to florescent lights. Free time? We’ve long ago forgotten what that means. If only we too could be exempted from these final projects, instead of staying up past midnight five days in a row. Junioritis has prohibited us from basic human rights, like Netflix and chill. The only thing getting us through is the countdown to our graduation . . . only a little more than 365 days left.

Junioritis has consumed our lives; it’s true, but take heart, dear juniors. There is a way we can overcome our condition.

First things first, purchase a Keurig from Amazon. If you’ve never had an affinity to coffee, just wait. Caffeine saves lives. This also gives you an opportunity to encourage your fellow juniors by bringing friends a cup of Joe every now and then. Remember, the key to survival is teamwork.

Another way to counteract Junioritis is to utilize every piece of time you can spare. Keep a sheet of notes on hand at all times so you can study at stop lights, while brushing your teeth or even during family dinners. Spending time with family is not supported by junior year, considering all that homework we have to finish.

Junioritis can additionally be thwarted by a new phenomenon we like to call “taking the L.” It’s quite simply really. Once you’ve run out of time to study and perform well on an assessment, accept defeat with a virtuous attitude. This method makes a bad grade a lot easier to accept and helps juniors to laugh at their steadfastly decreasing GPA.

All this to say, Junioritis is a real concern in today’s high schools and we must do everything we can to raise awareness. The workload may never get any easier for juniors, but as Troy Bolton once said, “We’re all in this together.” Summer break is in sight; all we have to do is stay alive until then.