Dear Jethro, 

I can’t stay focused and have not been doing any work. I’ve had Senioritis since the first day of school. I recently took my first math test and didn’t do so well. I really don’t want to continue going down this path. Help! 

-Failing 

Dear Failing,

I, too, am a senior, and I believe that all of us seniors have this problem one way or another. Over the summer, I waited until the day before school started to finish my RP Portfolio, which was not how I wanted to start the year. I know that we only have a few months left until we’re out of here, but that doesn’t mean that we have to get lazy.

If we look at the even bigger picture, a year from now, we’ll be starting our Freshman year of college and we’ll be doing even more work than we already are, so we have absolutely no reason to think that this year is our last. While we’ll be having a lot of fun as seniors, it’s still important to keep our grades up.

Most colleges look at your first semester senior year grades, and even if you applied early decision and got accepted to a college, they may still rescind your acceptance if they see that your first semester grades have dropped significantly.

One of my teachers told me that they have had college admissions officers call to ask about students whose grades in a class drop between junior and senior year or between quarters, so know that universities – especially the most competitive ones – do care about your grades this year.

If you are legitimately struggling in your classes, I suggest staying after school to ask your teacher for help or even getting a tutor. I wish you the best of luck, fellow senior.

Sincerely,

Jethro