Back in the spring semester of my senior year in high school, I thought I had the whole “school” thing figured out. I had gotten mostly A’s and B’s in all my classes, I was heavily involved in after-school activities, and I had just gotten accepted into the college of my choice, Grove City College. I was feeling really confident about myself and my time management skills. High school had been a breeze.
Then I started to feel the draw of Senioritis. I would define Senioritis as simply not wanting to do any school work because, “It doesn’t even matter anymore.” I am sure most seniors in high school can relate to this feeling; not wanting to take notes, study for tests, or even show up to class. I was never worried about my grades because I was already accepted into college! They were not going to “un-accept” me because I got a D on a calculus exam, so what did it matter? I would tell myself, “When I get to college, then I’ll start working hard.” With this mindset, my work ethic started to fall along with my GPA.
Let me warn anyone feeling the temptation of Senioritis: Fight the urge to give in! When I got to Grove City College, I was expecting the work to be just as easy as it was in high school. I was planning on putting the same amount of time and energy into my academics as I had in the past. I hardly read any of the assigned readings, I did the bare minimum on my homework, and I took sloppy notes. For some reason I thought that I would still receive the same, above-average, GPA.
At the end of my first semester here, I realized that Grove City was expecting more from me. My GPA was not what I hoped it would be and I was disappointed in myself. From then on, I had to start working hard to change my study habits to become a more successful student. Now, after a couple of semesters focusing on improving my work ethic, I have gotten into the groove of things and do not feel so strained when it comes to getting schoolwork done. It took some time and self-reflection, but the reward was worth it. My only regret is not focusing on academics sooner.
So, my advice? Study for that calculus exam. Take good notes. Read what you are asked to read for class. Senior year of high school is a true test of integrity. It is extremely important that you work as hard as you can, because college will only be more challenging. If you take the time to build the foundation of a great work ethic now, you will feel more confident and proud of yourself when you get to college.
