It’s the beginning of the end.

Whether they’re making up for missed partying or dishing out more resumes, seniors are now in the midst of the final chapter of their college journey, and they’ve got mixed feelings about it.

Ivanna Smith, a human development major, “tears up a little” when she reminisces about her time here. When she looks back, she said, she won’t miss the collegiate experience as much as friends, faculty and bonds. She plans to work for Teach for America in North Carolina after graduation.

When Laura Strauss’ professor said yesterday that this semester is going to fly by really quickly, she said she instantly looked at a friend seated next to her.

“Holy shit,” Strauss said, “that’s really scary.”

Strauss doesn’t have a job lined up yet.

“But at the same time, I’ve been here for a long time,” she said. “And even though there’s things I’ll miss, I’m excited to move on.”

Although it’s the beginning of the end, Alec Wilson said he started feeling out-the-door a while ago.

“I do not feel overwhelmed,” he said. “I’ve had senioritis probably since sophomore year.”

Wilson, a biology major, hopes to volunteer or work for non-profit organizations for the next couple of years while he looks into medical school.

Still, the perilous disease of “senioritis” has a foe that could keep students in-the-door: the ailing economy.

“Students are more overwhelmed this year, specifically, because of the economy,” said Stephanie Baccarella, a peer adviser in the School of Management. “Students are now trying to go for an MBA or stay an extra year to delay the process of graduating.”

Some SOM students that have to jump into the world of jobs, however, are making themselves more marketable by switching to accounting majors, Baccarella said. Students in other schools are picking up more classes to keep their options open, she added.

“For those who don’t have jobs yet, they’re really going to have to fight stay motivated and send out more applications,” said Chris Strunk, a peer adviser in SOM. “That goes across the whole school. Everyone’s going to have to.”

Some seniors have jobs lined up from previous internships. Meanwhile, instead of collecting a handful of job offers, other seniors are now scrambling for what’s left, Strunk said. Since jobs are scarce, seniors might have to settle for whatever job they can get.

“Everyone else has to take it in high gear, especially in February with the job and internship fair,” he said. “The biggest battle is to fight the senioritis our predecessors had and [to] secure job plans after graduation.”

The routine at Harpur Academic Advising seems to be as usual, or close to it, according to director Larry Greenfield. Seniors have been coming in to make sure they’re meeting their requirements for graduation. He hasn’t encountered seniors that wanted to avoid graduation, he said, but he did notice some fear about the economy among the students.

“The biggest difference I’ve noticed isn’t that people are doing something different or have different kinds of plans,” Greenfield said. “The biggest difference is students I’m talking with are more worried. They’re still planning on pursuing the same goals they’ve had in past semesters.”

No matter how bitter the end could be, Ramona Montaque, a management major concentrating in marketing and leadership/consulting, is looking at the sweet part.

“I’ve been in school since I was two,” she said. “I’m ready to move on.”