How to Overcome Senioritis

How to Overcome Senioritis

The last six miles of a marathon can often be the most difficult for many runners. After 20 miles and hours of running, you hit the dreaded “wall” and “the wheels fall off.” Your body is pushed to its limits, and it’s all a mental game from there on out to cross the finish line.Your senior year of high school after you’ve submitted your college applications can feel very much like the 20th mile—perhaps even more so if you have been sprinting for the past months to finish your applications while balancing rigorous courses and time-heavy activities.Senioritis rears its ugly head, and you would rather do anything else but sit at your desk for another hour to finish up a problem set or an English paper. We’ve all been there.But it’s important to finish well! Don’t let your grades slip and give colleges reason to reconsider accepting you. And, if you end up being waitlisted by a top school, strong midterm grades can be the very thing that tips the scale in your favor.Read on to learn how you can defeat senioritis.

Take Time to Rest and Recover

Usually procrastination is a symptom of burnout. When you don’t have a healthy balance of rest, work, and play, your brain will begin to protest and find ways to give itself a break.Allow yourself opportunities to refill your tank. If that means extra sleep, then aim to go to bed early and allow for a couple minutes of snooze time; or if it means hanging out with friends, text your best buds about getting together to celebrate.Schedule the rest and play you need in advance, so when it comes time to focus in class or on homework, your brain is in shape to maintain focus. Here are some other great tips to help you keep procrastination in check.

Prioritize Your Responsibilities

If you still feel overwhelmed and burned out after taking time to rest, or you find that your plate is too full, then prioritize what absolutely needs to be done and trim the nonessentials from your schedule.You can’t cut out classes and you likely do not want to step down from a club you lead, but you can delegate tasks to underclassmen or change your volunteer shifts from twice to just once weekly.Make a list of all your responsibilities and see which activities can be dropped or lightened.Of course, you should not quit your activities if it isn’t necessary—especially if they bring you joy and stir your passion. And in the case that you are waitlisted, staying involved provides more material for you to make a strong argument for your candidacy to colleges.Yet if you feel like you are slipping all too easily into the wiles of senioritis, see if there are any commitments you can let go of that would free you to perform well on your most important duties.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Classes may no longer feel as important, now that college applications are in and admissions committees will not have access to your second semester senior year grades when making decisions.But this kind of thinking can be a slippery slope. Colleges have given students warning letters when their academic performance drops below their usual levels, and significant declines in grades (Ds and Fs) can get your acceptances revoked. Further, if you are taking AP classes, performing well on the exams can test you out of some classes in college, putting you ahead of the curve.If you have gotten this far, you've likely developed good study habits that have kept your grades afloat or even sky high. Keep doing what you do best. If you’re struck with a bout of senioritis, remembering the importance of your second semester senior year grades can give you the boost you need.

Surround Yourself with Motivated People

Get around classmates who are as determined as you. Senioritis can certainly be contagious, but so is good work ethic. In fact, we often adopt the idiosyncrasies and habits of the people we spend the most time with, so gather classmates around you who will inspire motivation and diligence. You can form study groups to make the process a little bit more fun. And if you find that your friends also struggle with senioritis, then you can be the one cheering them on to cross the finish line.

Plan Out Your Summer

The summer following your senior year may be the first in a long time that you do not have to worry about classes, AP tests, the SAT, and college applications. You are free to travel, hang out with friends, and simply enjoy yourself before venturing off to college in the fall. Give yourself a treat to work towards by thinking about all the things you can do this summer.

Avoid Seniorities from the Start

For those of you who are not yet in the 12th grade, you can also practice avoiding stints of low motivation by ensuring you have a balanced workload, starting your college applications the summer after junior year, and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you to do your best.As seniors at your high school begin to hear back from colleges, keep track of the ones who received acceptances from the schools that interest you. Finding a role model who has achieved what you hope to accomplish can be the very inspiration you need to continue excelling even when everyone around you is slacking off.

Three Cheers for Senior Year!

As much as the second semester of senior year may be filled with class assignments, there are also many festivities to look forward to—such as prom, end-of-the-year celebrations, and grad night. Work hard, so you can play hard and fully enjoy all these fun events.The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter.See what others are saying about us