If you’re anything like me, the future often seems like a giant question mark. School is comforting because it provides a safe space for academia, but it also holds off the inevitable and scary “real world”. I’ve used my time in college to do as much as I could to prepare myself for what comes next, yet I still feel overwhelmed and exhausted at the prospect of fighting the good fight to receive my diploma. As a current senior in college and ongoing survivor, I’ve amassed valuable knowledge and tips for senioritis that I hope will help you in your quest to earn your degree.
Senioritis is the silent killer of college students. After working so hard for four years, even the most dedicated of scholars has their limits. In recent years, the term “senioritis” gained serious traction as a colloquialism for the lack of motivation felt by students as they near the end of their courses. Common signs that a senior near you is suffering from senioritis include cutting class, lower grades than usual, and excessive absences.
More often than not, I’ve noticed that this burnout stems not from laziness but an overall sense of exhaustion. It can be extremely hard to keep up the good work as graduation looms closer. With mental reserves already stretched to the limits and a preference for clear outlines, most senioritis-afflicted students aren’t lazy. Rather, they are simply tired from handling all their responsibilities.
While there’s no avoiding what comes after graduation, some tips for curbing senioritis will go a long way toward helping you make the most out of your senior year without losing your sanity in the process or future opportunities because you slacked in the home stretch.
Set A Goal For Yourself That Is Specific And Actionable
The only person who can really hold you accountable is yourself. Entering senior year with an idea of what you want to accomplish by the end of the year will help you become more proactive in doing what it takes to reach this goal. Things don’t always become clear until we specifically articulate them, so writing your motivation down on paper will help you verbalize what fuels you and keep you on track. Every time you consider taking on a new responsibility, or avoiding an assignment, ask yourself this: Is what I’m doing helping me reach my goal?
When you ask yourself this, you are forcing yourself to critically evaluate the consequences of your actions. The goal you set for senior year should not be something as broad as, “I will be rich one day.” While that’s the type of positive affirmation that has sold countless self-help books, it’s too vague to help you be productive when combatting procrastination
Specificity is key, so focus not on the unknown when making your goals, but what you can control. For example, “I will raise my GPA to 3.0 by the end of the spring semester so I can graduate cum laude.” This is a concrete objective that creates a clear framework for your tasks and serves as a reminder when you’re in the trenches.
Utilize Your Resources
The one thing I have learned about college is that it’s about way more than the classes you take. Your tuition dollars are going towards a four-year experience that should help you succeed in life after you graduate. With that in mind, most college campuses offer academic support to students free-of-charge. If you’re falling behind on coursework, a good strategy is to utilize your campus’s tutoring program to alleviate concerns about grades or understanding class material.
If you just want to learn more about how to get a job, almost every college has an entire building dedicated to career development. Research where your college’s career center is located on campus and go there, where faculty offer everything from job interview training to resume reviews.
When thinking about post-grad life, students often get overwhelmed by the idea of the unknown and so they subconsciously avoid it altogether by not doing their work. But when you confront the fear and make use of resources tailored to help you succeed after graduation, you remove the stigma from getting a job and can learn the inside scoop on how to get a career in your chosen job field. You’re already paying for these resources, so you might as well use them.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
Even when drowning in responsibilities, many students have a hard time relying on outside help. Good scholars are used to always taking on the brunt of work, so they often don’t feel comfortable asking anyone else to shoulder that burden. But I’m here to tell you that you do have a support system, and it exists for a reason.
A support system can be family, friends, a significant other, or even a teacher. The idea is that there are people in your life who love and care about you and want to help you succeed. Next time you’re feeling anxious about school or finishing an assignment, call up one of your chosen inner circle. Talk out your concerns with them. Along with making you feel heard and validated, a good support system can also offer a fresh perspective on an assignment or give you a good motivational pep talk.
Sometimes, the people who love us are better at seeing what we need than we are. Accepting our limitations and knowing that it does not make you weak to rely on others is one of the best tips for senioritis that I can give you.
Create a Calendar
It is no exaggeration to say that having a calendar that I regularly check has saved my life this year. I dread telling others now that before I used Google Calendar, I was just keeping track of all my assignments and due dates in my head. This is not a good way to handle your responsibilities. Like already mentioned, physically writing down your goals and tasks makes them more real. Many institutions strongly advise keeping a calendar as a way to prevent students from overextending themselves. It also gives you something concrete to look at with a clear deadline that you can reference if you’re ever confused.
When you deprive yourself of an external resource, the only person who suffers is you. I don’t doubt that there are plenty of strong minds out there, but believing that they’ll remember every assignment, every due date, and every event is a risk.
Finally, the best advice I can give you is to enjoy the ride of senior year with balance in mind. There will be highs and lows to your college experience no matter what you do. Regardless of how much you prepare, there is no true way to know what comes next; that’s part of the fun. Take these tips for senioritis and apply them practically to your own life, and find the perfect mix of fun and school to fuel you to that end goal.
Take heart, seniors. It’s not over once you get that diploma.
Your life is just beginning.
