Spring is here, and with warmer temperatures and greener grass comes something that has plagued many soon-to-be high school graduates: senioritis. Even the most hardworking students feel the urge to ditch the books in favor of any little distraction that comes their way during the final weeks before graduation.
Chances are, you have been hit with your own strain of senioritis, particularly if you have already been accepted to college and have sent in your enrollment deposit. What’s wrong with celebrating by kicking back and relaxing a bit? Nothing at all, provided it doesn’t get in the way of finishing your final semester on a high note. Many seniors write it off as urban legend, but it’s true: colleges have indeed been known to revoke scholarships and, in some extreme cases, rethink acceptances when they receive the abysmal final transcripts of seniors who checked out early.
Even though you are in the home stretch, it can feel like the longest few weeks you’ll ever have to endure. So what’s a senior to do? Here are a few ideas to tide you over until you can slam your locker for the very last time:
1. Get plenty of rest. You don’t have to be majoring in rocket science next year to know that when you are well rested, you can pretty much handle anything. If you can get a full eight hours of sleep per night, you’ll be more refreshed and will finish your homework much more quickly than if you’re dragging your feet. The quicker you finish your homework, the more time you’ll have to do whatever it is you’d rather be doing.
2. Get some fresh air. It’s been a long winter for many of us, so be sure to enjoy the good stuff that Mother Nature is starting to throw us. Take a break every so often from homework and go for a short walk, even if it’s just around the corner. Better yet, kill two birds with one stone and take your books outside—sunshine and a warm breeze while you study might be just the trick to help you get through that last act of Shakespeare or that massive list of Spanish vocabulary.
3. Keep your eye on the prize. Stick your acceptance letter to the refrigerator door. Start wearing your soon-to-be college tee shirt. Paint your room in the colors of your chosen school. Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself that you worked hard over the past four years to get where you are today, and that you will NOT allow the few remaining weeks of school to undo it all. If you have to program your alarm clock so that you wake up to your college’s fight song, do it. Start each day knowing that it’s one more day closer to the summer, when you can finally take a break from your schoolwork.
Don’t let senioritis get the best of you. Make a strong push to get through the rest of the semester and then you’ll have the whole summer to do as you please.