5 Tips For Avoiding Senioritis - Ontario Virtual School

This is it. The stress of applying to schools and submitting midterms is over. You’ve chosen your path for the fall and you’re ready for summer to just get here already! It’s a time of relief and celebration – and it’s also prime season for senioritis.

Senioritis is the toxic mindset born out of boredom, relief, and anticipation that takes over a senior towards the end of their high school career and encourages them to coast their way through the final weeks simply because they have their offer of admission tacked up on the fridge and graduation day circled on their calendar. The problem here is that senioritis isn’t something that can just be turned on and off. The symptoms of severe senioritis often carry over into other aspects of life (including at home and at work) and, unfortunately, can pose serious attitude problems if not cured by the time September comes around. So, whether you’re just beginning to feel a few of the classic symptoms, or you’re self-diagnosing a full-blown case of senioritis, here are a few tips to help you re-focus and stay on the path to success.

1. Keep your head in the game

You’re less than two months away from graduating, the finish line is so close; everyone is talking about it. While it can be tempting to spend all your time thinking about summer and freedom and all the perks that come along with this pivotal time in your life, it is more important than ever that you keep your head in the game! A lot can happen in the final quarter and you don’t want to let all the hard work you’ve put in to getting ahead slip while you laze around waiting for the final buzzer to sound. And if sports analogies aren’t your thing, let me put it this way: colleges and universities CAN change their minds if you let your grades slip too much, so don’t put yourself in a position where this might become a concern.

TLDR; Stay focused and work hard until that diploma is in your hands!

2. Stay challenged

Boredom is the nemesis of focus, and after 12 years of sitting in a classroom day after day, it’s admittedly understandable why seniors catch the boredom plague known as senioritis. The best course of action when you feel your focus starting to stray (and even before it happens!) is to seek out new ways to keep yourself challenged, both inside and outside the classroom. Whether this means volunteering to mentor younger peers, joining a new club or team, or even picking up a part-time job, it’s important to keep your days filled with meaningful activities that keep you feeling stimulated and productive (HINT: beating your brother’s video game record doesn’t exactly qualify here).

TLDR; Don’t give in to boredom: find new ways to stimulate yourself!

3. Form good habits early

Chances are that in less than 4 months you’re going to be walking through the door of your first college or university class. But why wait until then to start mentally preparing yourself for success? While it may be tempting to skip classes in these final few weeks, particularly if you did well on your midterms, remember that in just four short months, you are going to be responsible for getting yourself to class and succeeding all on your own. If you start allowing yourself to skip out on classes because “they don’t really matter” now, you’re setting a pattern that will convince you to do the same when your alarm goes off for an 8am lecture or lab that really does matter down the road.

TLDR; Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of skipping classes!

4. Get organized

Don’t let 12 years of hard work and perseverance fall through in the last 12 weeks! Keep track of your course work and keep those grades up! Remember that grade 12 marks are the most important grades of your career thus far, and will be taken into consideration for admissions if you decide to change programs later on. If you haven’t already, schedule an appointment to talk to your guidance counsellor and make sure that everything is on track and set up as you need it to be for final grade submissions. Your counsellors can also help you make sure you’re staying within a safe range in terms of maintaining any conditional acceptances you may have received. And if you are moving on to post-secondary in the fall, make sure to attend all meetings for incoming students at your institution of choice, these are vital to the preparation process!

TLDR; Make triple sure everything is in order – and stays in order – for graduation!

5. Enjoy your moment

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, take this time to enjoy being a high school senior! All too often seniors spend so much time looking forward at what’s to come that they forget to embrace where they are now. And, as sad as it can be to think about, the end of high school also means saying goodbye to the vast majority of the peers and teachers you’ve grown close to over the past four (or more) years, so make the most of the time you have together! Also remember that as a senior, younger students look up to you, so make sure you’re giving them something to admire.

TLDR; Embrace your time as top dog while it lasts, because in a few short months you’re going to be at the bottom of the food chain again!