I am a second semester senior. Life is good. That is all.
Actually, just kidding. There’s a lot more to it than that. Why? Because even though I am a second semester senior and even though life is good, there’s still a little thing called school work that doesn’t just disappear because I’ve finally reached the final moments of my high school career. Realistically speaking, I must admit that this semester I have not worked as hard as I usually do—nevertheless my grades remain solid. Sometimes it’s hard to find motivation to keep up with school work, but it is absolutely necessary. Senioritis must be crushed.
Sheryln
It really is all about attitude. In order to keep your grades up and stay motivated, you first have to DECIDE that you are going to do it. Once you’ve made a mental commitment, you can then proceed to set standards (which may or may not be slightly lower than your usual standards, but not by much J would be my suggestion). You can let loose once in a while—just remember that balance is key.
I loaded my schedule with all Honors and AP classes this year. Inevitably, this means that school work must still be completed. Although sometimes it feels like my teachers are smiting me with all that work, I have to remind myself that they are simply following the College Board’s AP curriculum—I chose this, after all. When my motivation reaches an all time low and I am tempted to give into the seemingly sweet temptation that is senioritis, I remind myself that I will be taking an AP test at the end of the school year which could potentially allow me to place out of college introductory courses. Invest a little work now and save room in my college class schedule to explore new interests!
Of course, don’t forget that there’s a lot of value in simply learning for the sake of learning. Enjoy your classes—get interested. I am currently taking AP Comparative Government. While I do plan on taking the AP exam at the end of this school year, I find that this course is highly applicable to real life. I read articles on nytimes.com and economist.com before class every other day and try to apply what I’m learning to how those countries currently interact with each other and with their people. I am now more informed about international news than I’ve ever been! Maybe even explore a new interest: take that art class you never thought you’d be good at just for the fun of it!
Moreover, as a scholarship recipient, my grades still remain important. For some, keeping your grades up second semester senior year could even allow you to obtain a scholarship depending on what college you choose to attend. These grades do matter.
So yes, second semester senior year is meant to be fun and exciting and everything you always dreamed of. But it is possible to keep your grades up and remain motivated through this wonderful closing to this wonderful phase of our lives.