Top 9 Ways to Shake off Senioritis and Stay on Track Your Senior Year

If you are expecting to graduate from high school in the next couple of years you may be feeling some of the symptoms of senioritis. You are not alone. You are one of 3.6 million students who graduate from high school in the U.S. a year.

Worried about coming down with senioritis in your senior year and losing focus? Check out these 9 ways to stay on track and focused.

What is Senioritis?

High school is coming to an end and college or work is just around the corner. You feel too old for high school. It's restrictive and a bit boring.

You find it hard to stay focused on your studies. Even being motivated to attend school is difficult. You just want to break out.

You've got a case of senioritis. This condition could affect your academic, social and emotional life. If it gets out of hand it could damage your future prospects.

It's time to do something about it.

1. Don't Drop the Ball

You may feel that you are done with high school. You have had it with the rules and structure. You are looking forward to college or work but be careful you don't drop the ball before you leave high school.

Your last year at high school is important for your future. It's your last opportunity to prove to a college that you are worthy of their campus. College can be the most amazing time in your life so isn't it worth maintaining focus for a little while longer?

You may have completed college applications but moving on to college may not be a done deal. You need to keep your performance consistent right to the end of high school to be sure your college choice accepts you. It would be a shame for you to undermine your personal brand for the sake of a few months of extra effort.

2. Squeeze the Juice

You may be looking forward to the next stage of your life and wishing it would come more quickly. College may be an exciting prospect. You should give some thought to what you are leaving behind.

You may feel that you have outgrown high school but that doesn't mean there's nothing more for you to gain. This is your last chance to get the most out of high school before it's all over.  Think of it as squeezing the last sweet juice from the fruit.

3. Join In

Look for opportunities to get involved with extra activities at high school. Join a club or get involved in a high school play. Volunteer to help at events or support younger students.

These activities may look great on your college application or resumé.

More than that, they may also help you enjoy your last few months at high school. If you expect to have a great time at a college you will need to get involved with activities there and this could be good preparation.

4. Have Fun

When your motivation is waning, you need some fun things to do to keep up your morale. These activities can help sustain you as well as build on friendships. Having some fun as well as working hard to the end is the best senioritis cure.

Look for social opportunities. Take up a new interest. Balance work with fun activities to get the best out of both.

5. Maintain GPA

Your Grade Point Average is important right to the end of your time at high school. Colleges monitor your scores and so should you. Make it your business to keep your GPA up.

Having a measure of your performance can help you with motivation. This principle applies to sports, business, and academic life too. Track your own progress.

If you notice a dip in performance in a particular area, give it some more of your attention. It may be possible to improve your scores.

Don't make it a negative thing. Celebrate your successes.

6. Stay Physically Healthy

When you move on from high school you will have more responsibility for your own wellbeing. This means looking after your physical and mental health. Now is a good time to start.

If you feel you have outgrown high school, you should be ready to take on some of the responsibilities an adult has for themselves. Make time in your schedule for some exercise. Play sports, workout at the gym, go swimming.

7. Stay Mentally Healthy

Taking exercise is good for your physical health. It's also good for your mental health. Taking exercise releases hormones into your body that make you feel good.

Taking up a mindfulness activity may be a good way of developing your mental resilience. This is good preparation for college where you may be faced with new academic and social demands. Consider yoga or meditation.

8. Use Daily Goals to Focus

What have you achieved today? If you are finding it difficult to answer this question, perhaps you need some daily goals. Having a short-term goal can help bring you focus.

An additional benefit of having daily goals is how they create a sense of progress and achievement. This is important is you are losing some of your motivation.

At the end of each day, write down the goals you will achieve the next day. Start each day by reviewing your goals and plan to achieve them. At the end of the day review how you did and set your goals for the next day.

Make your goals specific and measurable. Don't make them so demanding that you don't have a chance to achieve them but do make them a little stretching.

9. Get Help

If everything seems to be getting on top of you, don't suffer in silence. Talk to someone who can help. This could be your parents or a school counselor.

You may not know how to combat senioritis but working with a counselor, you can find a way, together. They will be familiar with the symptoms having seen it countless times before. At the very least, they can listen to you and even that helps. 

Hold Your Head Up

Bringing your high school years to a close in style. You don't have to suffer from senioritis.

It's an achievement to be proud of. You can go forward to the next stage in your life, well prepared.

As you go forward to college, here's more help.