There is a disease that plagues those college students whose graduation day draws near.

It is a fast-growing academic tumor and no ‘almost’ graduate is safe.

If infected, it will make your class attendance scores, grades and motivation levels drop faster than gravity itself.

Senioritis.

Of course, not everyone suffers from the same side effects – some suffer more and some less.

Some suffer from a completely different set of symptoms.

You know when you see those girls walking around campus with sweat pants on, a messy bun and one shaved leg?

Yeah, they have senioritis.

It’s very impolite to tease someone who is sick with senioritis and it’s dangerous as well.

Sufferers of this disease are very easily agitated and vulnerability is pretty much a constant emotion.

So don’t poke fun at the pieces of food in their hair.

They might bite.

Netflix addiction is another symptom.

If you find yourself skipping class to watch your favorite sitcom…you might want to be careful because you’re treading on ground ridden with senioritis germs.

I once found myself with said Netflix addiction.

“Grey’s Anatomy” was my weakness. I began to consider skipping class just to watch it. I left parties early to watch it.

Basically, I traded in my almost non-existent social life to live vicariously through the doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital.

I just wanted to escape from being a student for ONE hour.

I came to the conclusion that I had senioritis when I began to notice a pattern in my behavior that wasn’t normally stuff I did.

I would go to class all day with mascara on only one eye.

I would forget homework assignments almost every single day.

I knew it was really bad when I would literally sit in the middle of my living room floor and just cry because I did not want to write another paper, do more homework or study for yet another exam.

At first I thought it was just a quarter-life crisis, but those things usually come with cool side effects- like tattoos and shopping sprees.

Not crying tantrums.

If any of these symptoms sound like something you have been experiencing, don’t worry.

Senioritis is curable.

One dose of a diploma and “poof” it’s gone.

If you find yourself in a ball on the floor of your living room shaking, crying and not thinking you can make it one more day in a classroom, there are things that can help with the pain until that day of permanent relief comes on graduation day.

From personal experience as a two-year senioritis sufferer (I’m a fifth-year senior) I have come up with some home remedies for a bad case of the “I want to graduate yesterday.”

First of all, it’s okay to sit in the middle of your living room and cry or scream into a pillow.

I’m pretty sure feeling frustrated is extremely normal. At least I really hope it is.

I do it… quite often.

Secondly, I like to go on long drives around town and listen to my favorite music when I get mad.

Being angry that I’m still in college and haven’t graduated yet is the root of my case of senioritis.

Lastly, daydreaming about the future gets me through a lot of days that I feel like a defeated student.

If I can sit there and picture myself in my future career in a big city with my dream job, then it gives me motivation to get through the day.

It gives me at least enough energy to do that homework assignment.

I think the best thing to help with a nasty case of senioritis is self-motivation.

You just have to persevere.