How to Avoid a Disastrous Springtime Senior Slump

Jason Darling, Sports Editor

One of the major problems for seniors in the second semester of the school year is the senior slump. Many seniors are getting accepted to college and their senior year is coming to an end. This causes many seniors to lose motivation in the second semester. A lot of the time they start missing homework assignments, not studying for tests, and losing attention in class. Their grades start to falter, and many teachers become upset with classes that are seemingly not paying attention.
However, there are ways to avoid this slump. The first of which is to get a good night’s sleep. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night, this will make it easier to pay attention in class, and you will be able to stay focused more easily.
Another way to avoid the so called “senioritis” is to not let yourself fall into bad habits. Skipping school and playing on your phone in class may both be very tempting at times, but don’t give in to those temptations, because you can build up bad habits that could lead to you skipping class multiple times a week. Also, if you get used to bad habits in high school, it will carry over to college, and you’ll have a hard time adjusting to the new workload.
Another important aspect to succeeding in your senior year is to keep a positive mindset. If you have a mindset of “none of this even matters, I’ve already gotten into college,” then you’re more likely to slack. You have to treat your last semester like any other semester, take it one day at a time, keep track of assignments, and don’t procrastinate on large projects.
Staying focused in class can be hard, especially after a long break, but there are habits that can help. Keep your phone out of reach or in your backpack so you are not tempted to use it in class. Try not to talk to friends in class, and if you need to, space yourself out from people you think you might want to talk to.
Lastly, and arguably most importantly, is to try to have fun. It’s your last few months at high school, and odds are you won’t be going to college with a lot of your high school friends, so this will most likely be your last time seeing them on a daily basis. That being said, there is a time and place for it. Don’t disrupt class, but have fun and talk to friends at lunch, practice, or outside of school.

Mark Slacin (12) can’t stay awake in class.
(Photo by Jason Darling)