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Academic Advisor Michelle Warkentin offers advise for seniors suffering from senioritis. She suggests working hard and focusing on long-term goals rather than slacking off during the final semester of their high school career.
Senioritis has become a popular term used to explain the apathy toward school that students often develop at the end of their high school career. Living up to the name, senioritis is highly contagious and its side effects can be detrimental to students' college acceptance. However, like many diseases it is preventable and even manageable if contracted.
Many students are unaware that colleges can rescind their acceptance if there is a significant drop in the student's academic standing. A decrease in performance may lead the admissions officer to believe that the student is not prepared for the stress level and difficult workload of college.
"We expect the students we admit will continue to demonstrate the traits that distinguished them during the admission process -- throughout senior year and during the years spent on our campus," Martha C. Merrill, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Connecticut College, said.
Although rescinding college applications is fairly uncommon, it happens to careless seniors every year and is something that can easily be prevented. Senior year should be a fun and memorable experience with a healthy balance of work and play.
Here are a few tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of senioritis:
Plan Ahead
Stay on top of all deadlines and give yourself plenty of time to complete assignments. Make sure the work you submit is your highest quality and worthy of college level.
Don't Obsess
It's easy to get caught up in the college admission process and forget about the here and now; "Don't spend the whole senior year obsessing about college admission," Director of admission at Oberlin College (OH) said.
Talk about it
Senior year can be an emotional time because several life changes will be taking place in just a few short months. Enjoy this exciting time and talk with friends about the feelings you are having. Use this time to strengthen these friendships and encourage each other in future planning.
Have fun
You have worked very hard to get to this point. Although academics are still important keep your life in balance so you can enjoy all aspects of this final high school semester.
Although there is some truth to the symptoms of senioritis, all too often it is used as a convenient excuse for a lack of motivation to finish strong. The most important part of any race is the finish, no one remembers if a runner had a great start if they ended up in last place. What everyone is watching is how the runners cross the finish line.
Seniors, how are you going to cross the finish line this May? Will it be with your head held high with pride or sunken low with embarrassment after losing steam at the end?
For the previous College Corner, read the Jan. 23 article, College Corner: Common questions about the FAFSA. For more opinions, read the Feb. 15 article, EDITORIAL: Various outlets provide sense of belonging.
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Posted by "Logan Rood" on February 20, 2013 at 9:17 p.m.
As a senior, I definitely struggle with senioritis! This is a great article to give me tips on how to avoid it. Mrs. Warkentin also helps through the process she is a perfect mentor for me.
Posted by "Brandon McCormick" on February 25, 2013 at 4:58 p.m.
This article is a great confidence buster to let students know that why give up in the end after you have made it so far. I definitely struggle with finshing assignments and keeping inlolved with my grades as the year comes to an end but the end is what matters the most.
As Mrs. Warkentin mentioned about colleges revoking students acceptance, many people lately have been telling me the same thing. This statement is not to scare students but to tell students to persevere through the finish and not give up now.
By the way, great article, it means a lot!