Juniors, how to avoid a senioritis outbreak

Do you find it hard to concentrate in class? Do you procrastinate on your homework? If so, then chances are that you’re a prime target for a senioritis outbreak! 

Senioritis is that drop of motivation common among students in senior year. Its symptoms are procrastination, lack of focus and slipping grades.

Last summer, the University of Washington revoked admission letters of 23 potential students, as their grades dropped considerably over senior year. And as many as 37 students had their admission letters rescinded by the University of California, Berkeley, for the same reason!

“At most universities, high school students are admitted on a tentative basis, and full admission is granted once they graduate and meet all the final admission requirements,” says Darryl Bridges, vice president for student affairs at Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. “If they fail to do so, the students are never actually admitted.”

The best remedy for senioritis is to stay motivated throughout your senior year.

Dr. J. Reid Schwebach, a graduate student at Columbia University and a senioritis expert, says there’s payoff to being motivated. “By continuing to develop writing skills and working hard in challenging courses as a high school senior, you will not only have an easier first year of college, you’re likely to do better and enjoy the later years of your university experience,” he says.

The effects of senioritis are hard hitting and long lasting. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics, 55 percent of new college entrants in the fall of 2000 had to take remedial courses, as they were not adequately prepared for college.

You don’t want to spend your time taking remedial courses and repeating semesters, do you? Senior year of high school is the best time to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and improve yourself so that doesn’t happen.

Procrastination is one of the biggest problems seniors face.

Cara Garcia, author of Too Scared To Learn, explains why procrastination happens: “One part of the student is the Concentrator and thinks about the studying that needs to be done. But another part of the student is the Interrupter and interrupts the efforts of the Concentrator.”

Get into the habit of jumping into the task at hand right away. If you let your Interrupter think, you won’t ever get started. Let the Concentrator get going.

Try to make learning fun.

“While studying something boring, get yourself to draw similarities and analogies between what you are studying and things you already know well or find interesting,” suggests Dr. Juan Salinas from the University of Texas, Austin.

Preview every chapter before your teacher starts it. This will help you concentrate while it’s being taught in class. Review the chapter after school. Memorize the material after you’ve understood all the concepts discussed. You’ll never forget it!

Here are a few suggestions from high school graduates that will help you get through senioritis:

• Take AP courses or enroll in a community college while you’re in high school to get college credit and experience.

• Get involved in extracurricular activities and sports to keep you interested in school.

• Schedule blocks of time to work on college applications each week.

• Read college guides, such as Study is Hard Work by William H. Armstrong, and Good Teaching: A Guide for Students by Richard A. Watson.