Avoiding Senioritis

Many high school seniors think they can slack off during their senior year because they’ve worked so hard–especially during those last few months. There is only one semester left and many students have already been accepted into college. So, why not kick back and coast to graduation? This is often referred to as “senioritis.”

An admission offer is conditional, and students are expected to keep up their grades and academic performance all the way through the end of the school year. Colleges can–and have–rescinded admission offers for certain things.

You’re admitted to a school based on the information on your application, so you need to let the college know if there are any changes. For example, if you dropped a class that was originally on the transcript you sent in, your transcript has now changed. When your school receives your final transcript in the summer, you don’t want to find out there was an issue because you didn’t make them aware of the change.

It’s much better to be honest with your school and explain why you dropped the class or why your grades have suffered. An admission counselor can help advise you on what to do if your acceptance is in jeopardy.

Another reason to avoid senioritis and keep working hard is to help the transition to a college-level workload. Taking AP courses, which require a higher level of commitment to prepare for AP exams, can also help. The “anti-slacker” curriculum of AP classes helps with adjusting to college.

Procrastinating during your senior year often makes it difficult to get back into good study habits when you get to college where there tend to be more distractions, no parents to remind you of deadlines, etc.

Keeping your grades up is important, but having a fun senior year is also vital to avoid burnout. Try not to go overboard just yet–summer will be here before you know it. 

Lower grades aren’t the only thing that can threaten college admission. Disciplinary issues can also jeopardize an offer of admission. While senior pranks may seem fun to you and your friends, they can have a negative effect on your admission.

Try to keep senioritis under control and celebrate with a fun summer before the great adventure college begins!

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