March/April 2024
Volume 61 Issue 2
The Class of 2024 Comes Down with a THIS ISSUE Deadly Case of Senioritis
what’s in
Sarah Mies Managing Editor
Safe Travels
Sports
It is real. It is here. The Senioritis epidemic has hit Alvernia University hard this semester. Senioritis is defined by Oxford Languages as an “affliction of students in their final year or high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance” and no matter what your teachers or parents say IT.IS.REAL. It has been a long four years for the class of 2024. We came into our university careers during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our first year here was full of masks, social distancing, and regulations that took away our ability to truly get to know our classmates. We pushed ourselves into our work because there was virtually nothing else to do. We stayed in our dorms with our roommates and played Among Us on our phones. The
gym was closed, the cafeteria was takeout only, there was no way to make friends. Looking back, this feels like decades ago. As the years went on and things slowly returned to normal, we started socializing more, and focusing on school less. Sophomore year we could have friends in our dorms again, and by junior year COVID-19 was a dark memory. When we were finally free of the masks and restrictions are we were ready to finally have some real fun. Yes, we still studied and got our work done on time, but we never said no to a late-night trip to Wawa, a night out on Penn Ave, an Alvernia happy hour on the patio, or going to support every team that plays on the Alvernia turf. Now, here we are, the last semester as an Alvernia student, and we are consumed. The balance of school and fun is getting harder and harder to manage
and we are getting tired. Some students have more on their plate than others. For example, spring studentathletes in their final season struggle to keep up with classes, practices, and their social life. “Senioritis feels like you have 10 tabs open in your brain,” Lily Summerson, senior Psychology Major and captain of the Alvernia Women’s Tennis team, said, “but you have to put that on pause to go to practice and then half prices appetizers
and happy hour at Applebee’s with your friends.” Our symptoms of senioritis include fatigue, backaches, an increased tendency to be an introvert, and lots and lots of crying. At this point in the semester, most of us know what we are doing after graduation on May 11. Some of us are going to med school or graduate school and some of us found full time
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Sherrin Smith Contributing Writer Disney
O’Pake
Since high school, many students have received advice on how to prepare for the “real world” after graduating from college. Save money, get a job, find your own place, the basic steps to adulthood. However, due to inflation, employers’ fear of hiring “lazy Gen Z’ers,” and salaries that barely cover living expenses, those basic steps have now become steep mountains for college graduates to climb. Sara Hallameyer, a graduating senior, is a Golden Guide at Alvernia. Hallameyer is looking forward to having a sustainable amount of money – one day. “Right now, I have a job on campus, but I’m like ‘I can’t do a lot with anything [be]cause I don’t have any money,’” she said. But off campus,
Hallameyer has been looking for lab technician positions and her search has been difficult. “It’s been kind of hard because most of them want you to have a master’s [degree] anyway,” she said. “But it’s mainly those type of jobs. And it’s not that there’s not a couple [of jobs] that I could [work], but some are in far away locations or just not a good pay type of deal.” Hallameyer isn’t the only one struggling to find jobs. Most college graduates are struggling and online debates, primarily led by employers, are blaming the grads themselves. The New York Post conducted a survey of employers in New Jersey this past January and found numerous reasons why employers are hesitant to hire recent graduates. “The respondents reported that Gen Z
Credit: Tony Tran via Unsplash.com
Seniors Feel the Pressure of Adulthood
The end of senior year is very hard for students
candidates struggle to pick up professional cues, causing 39% of employers to favor hiring older candidates,” Angelica Stabile, a writer for Fox Business, said. The article also mentioned that most college graduates struggle with interview etiquette in terms of lack of eye contact, inappropriate dress, their refusal to turn cameras on in virtual interviews, and even by inviting parents to their interviews. Kristina Archie, another graduating senior, has had success with her job hunt. “I currently have a nurse externship at a hospital close to my hometown,” Archie said. “Within my externship, I am guaranteed a job at the hospital upon passing the NCLEX [National Council
Licensure Examination].” Archie is very confident about landing this job, but she is interested in working in the oncology unit. However, applying to other units does make her nervous. “Applying for specialty units like the one I want a job on has been a bit nervewracking because many nurse managers tend to want their nurses to have at least a year’s experience before they dive into a specialty,” Archie said. Despite her concern, Archie is very confident with her post-graduation plans. Once a graduate gets a job, they now have to deal with the American housing market, which is in the worst state it has ever been.
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