College Seniors - Issues concerning the last year

  Avoiding senioritis is, of course, far easier said than done. Even the subconscious notion that "it's almost over" is enough to lead some college seniors to study less and party more. It's only natural to feel as though the war has already been won when you've already emerged victoriously from so many smaller academic battles over the preceding years. Nevertheless, one key to beating senioritis is to simply understand, realize, and accept the genuine FACT that you have NOT graduated yet and that there is a very real chance you'll either miss your chance altogether OR wind up spending at least one more semester in school! At the very least, senioritis almost always has a negative impact on grades which, of course, can inherently diminish your career outlook & prospects. And after so many years of however much effort, is it really worth risking it all for one year of "relaxed" studying? Not at all! Psyche yourself to be patient and realize that you may never have to study again in just a few short months... Remind yourself that if you don't hit the books during this last year.. (maybe even harder than ever!) you may be stressing over school for more than just these two last semesters. Even one additional term is going to represent a 50% increase over the amount of time you intended to spend as a matriculated student when you began your "final" year in school! NO amount of relaxation is worth THAT kind of extended stay!

   It's easy enough to hear "stay disciplined and buckle down" but what if you're working a full-time job and never had quite the number of responsibilities now that you had during previous academic years? If your job is a career-orientated one and they've hired you because of the promise of a degree forthcoming, you'd be especially fool hearted to risk prolonging your graduation. But any worthwhile employer should certainly understand and respect the fact that you're a student and are not yet quite as available or even as dedicated as you will be after commencement day's graduation ceremony! If the administration that hired you cannot empathize, you might honestly consider the idea that the company for which you work may not be ideal. Look for signs now (while you still can do something about them!) of a dead-end or unnecessarily difficult job. Avoid clinging to a paycheck just because it comes from the only prospective employer on your list and you're worried about finding another job. Lifelong "mistakes" sometimes begin during this final year of school.. Evaluate the pros and cons of your current job and determine whether or not it's going to interfere with your ability to graduate on-time. If it is, you probably owe it to yourself to make other arrangements...at any cost. In certain cases, you may truly be dealing with the rest of your life. Live for you; not for work! And if graduate school is on the horizon, click the "next" button below!