Surviving Senioritis: How to avoid the senior slump

After working hard for three years to earn the grades and test scores needed to get into college, it’s no surprise that many seniors feel like "blowing off" school and taking it easy. Stay on track — skimping on your schedule can cost you now and down the road.

Senioritis and college admission

Many students mistakenly believe that prepping for college ends after eleventh grade. However, you’ll find that the senior year -- the entire senior year — is actually of particular interest to colleges.

Colleges look at your senior year courses and grades

If you think that colleges are only interested in what you accomplished during your first three years of high school, think again. Many college applications (including the Common Application) require you to list your senior courses, including information about course levels and credit hours. It will be very obvious to the admission officers if you’ve decided to "take the year off."

What’s more, many colleges include as part of the application a form called the mid-year grade report. Your counselor completes this form with your first semester grades and sends it to your colleges. It then becomes a crucial part of your application folder.

Don't slack off— even if you're already in

Many college acceptance letters include warnings to students such as "Your admission is contingent on your continued successful performance." Translation: colleges can take back offers of acceptance if your grades take a nosedive.

Don't believe that a college will really drop you once you're in? Think again: as one college counselor writes, "It is not at all rare for a college to withdraw an offer of admission when grades drop significantly over the course of the senior year.

Senioritis can affect your college performance. According to reports created by and for the National Commission on the High School Senior Year, incomplete high school preparation can contribute to academic problems in college.

"Students who require remediation [have to take remedial courses] range from a low of 13 percent at private four-year colleges to a high of 41 percent at public two-year institutions.
"More than one quarter of the freshmen at 4-year colleges and nearly half of those at 2-year colleges do not even make it to their sophomore year."

Tips to help you survive senioritis

Here are some suggestions to help you stay on track and get the most out of your senior year:

• Create your own motivation
• Even if you've already been accepted to college, keep setting goals for yourself, in and out of the classroom, and working towards them.
• Challenge yourself
• Take the most rigorous courses available at your school, such as AP * courses. If you’d like a preview of college work, consider signing up for a course at a local college.
• Stay involved and active
• Keep up your participation in school activities, sports, volunteer work, etc.
• Keep things in balance
• Try not to let one area of your life (schoolwork, social life, outside interests, job) totally dominate other areas.

Choosing Your College Major: Choosing Your College Major: So, what are you going to do with your life?

Some students start college knowing exactly what they’d like to major in. Others don’t know what to major in, or have a career goal but no knowledge of what majors will get them there. Most find themselves switching majors during college. Here are some tips, no matter where you fall in this range.

What is a college major?

You're required to major in a specific academic subject (or professional field) to demonstrate sustained, high-level work in one field. Depending on the college, you might major in two fields, have a major and a minor, or even create your own major.

When should I declare a major?

At most colleges, you aren’t required to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year. If you’re in a two-year degree program, you’ll probably select a major at the start because your course of studies is much shorter.

How do I choose?

First and second-year students usually take more general courses while they try and decide on a major. After this initial "shopping" period, coursework becomes more focused and specific. Make sure that genuine interest is there, though. You don’t want to choose a major by process of elimination — that could take a while.

Take courses in things that appeal to you, then try and focus on a subject that will interest and motivate you. You’ll do better, and the motivation can continue through college and into a job.

What if I want to go to graduate school?

If you think law school, medical school, or graduate school is in your future, some schools offer pre-professional majors (such as pre-med or pre-law). Most advisers suggest declaring a "normal" major unless you’re set on your plans after college. As long as you fulfill a grad school’s course requirements, it really doesn’t matter what you major in.

Does my major dictate my profession?

Sometimes, if you specialize in something like nursing, accounting, or engineering, you’re learning a specific trade and will likely continue with that. Most majors, however, prepare you for a range of things that you will be trained to handle once you graduate. For most students, picking a college is not the same as picking a career. It will be up to you to go with what you like.

Remember, you’re not alone. Choosing a major is usually done with the help of academic and peer advisers.

How Important Is the Choice of a College Major? There are so many and your job is to choose just one?

There’s considerable debate as to how important this decision really is. Some say it doesn’t matter because the skills you build are universally valued. Others say it does matter because the major you choose can dictate the scope of your opportunities. Which point of view is "right" depends on your time frame.

In the long run

As you progress in your career, you build skills and knowledge that transcend your choice of major. After about three years of work experience, your degree begins to fade into the backdrop of your resume, and after about five years, it is relegated to the fine print. At that point, the degree is really a minimum requirement for employment more than a testament to your knowledge. So, maybe your choice of major is not so important.

In the near future

Wait a minute! You still need to begin your career somewhere, gaining the work experience that will be valued more highly than your degree. A series of unrelated jobs won’t help launch your career nor will a career in a field in which you have no interest. Think of it like a rocket trajectory — at launch, you need to be pointed in the right direction; otherwise, it will take considerable energy to change your course later on. The major you choose can help to direct your career.

Why your major matters?

Here are some reasons for taking the decision seriously:

• You're about to invest several years of your life in studying something in great detail. It might as well be a subject in which you're interested.
• To maximize your psychological and financial payback from this investment of time and money, pick a launch pad that will send you in the desired direction.
• There are many careers that favor (or even require) one degree over another. You should be aware of what these careers are before you choose.

Despite the importance of choosing a major, the vast majority of students still make the decision haphazardly. There are two problems that frequently stand in the way of making an informed decision:

The information required to evaluate your options does not exist in a practical form.
The sheer number of options is daunting, making it easy to postpone the decision until you’re well into college. Delaying this decision can result in a choice that’s convenient but unwise or a delayed graduation.

Take your time and do the research

Choosing a major is not a decision that can be made in two hours, two days, or even two weeks. Once you’ve narrowed the list of majors and careers that seem interesting, try each of them on for a while.

For example, conduct some informational interviews and project yourself in the role. If you’re not excited by the subject matter or can’t see yourself in that type of career, then move on to others. After all, if you start early, you have plenty of time.

Extracurricular Activities: Life outside the classroom

Sure, life in school is pretty interesting. You’ve got algebraic equations, Bunsen burners, sentence diagrams... But chances are, you’ve got pursuits beyond school, too. Maybe you play in a band, are on a sports team, or do volunteer work.

Colleges care

The good news is that colleges pay attention to your life inside and outside the classroom. Yes, your academics probably come first, but your activities reveal a great deal about you, such as:

• What your non-academic interests are.
• Whether you can manage your time and priorities.
• Whether you can maintain a long-term commitment.
• What diversity you’d bring to the student body.
• How you’ve made a meaningful contribution to something.

Haven't gotten involved yet?

Lots of school, community, and religious organizations give you chances to explore your interests and talents. If you haven’t felt drawn into something yet, there’s no shortage of opportunities. For example:
School activities: It’s pretty easy to find out about activities available at school. Sometimes the challenge is figuring out how much to do. Here are some quick tips:
Most importantly, find something you like to do, and stick with it. Quality is more important than quantity.
If you can handle it, try to excel in more than one area. For example, write for the paper and do volunteer work.
Don’t worry about being president, or captain. The key is whether you’ve done something significant, center stage or behind the scenes.

Work Experience

Work experience — paid or volunteer, year-round or summer — can help you identify career interests and goals, gain work experience, and apply classroom learning to the real world. It’s also a great way to earn money for college, of course. Consider arranging for an internship or to shadow someone at his or her job.

Community service

You can also gain skills and experience through volunteer work, such as by tutoring elementary school kids or spending time at a local hospital. Some schools even offer academic credit for volunteer work.