So many fun and exciting things happen during the senior year. You may notice that your parents are becoming more and more flexible with curfews and other rules, in an effort to prepare you for the freedom that comes with college.
Many students own a car for the first time, some have no curfews at all, while others are permitted to travel out of state with friends for college visits. Unfortunately, too much fun and freedom in the senior year can lead to senior slump.
What’s that? Let’s say you’ve received your acceptance letter to the college of your choice, so you decide it’s suddenly party time.
You stay out late all the time, you’re the life of the party, and your social life thrives. Unfortunately, while you turn into Cinderella, your grades turn into ash. It’s a dangerous situation.
Even if you have received admission into college, you may be in for a big surprise a few weeks after grades come out. Many of the more selective colleges keep an eye out for this sort of thing.
To college officials, senior-year slacking is a sign of academic struggles to come. Studies have shown that students who begin to slack during their senior year often continue the trend once they enter college. Colleges don’t recruit people who seem bound to drop out.
For that reason, college admissions directors may take action if they see your grades going down. Many students receive warning letters each year, asking them to explain their late-year poor performances. If students don’t respond, or if their answers aren’t satisfactory, colleges do have the right to withdraw the acceptance. And they use it.
How can you avoid the slump? It helps just to know that this is a recognized phenomenon, and that colleges have policies to deal with it. Once you know you’re accountable for your late-year performance, you’ll be more likely to spend more time studying.
Another thing you can do to avoid slipping into the slump is to establish contact with your future roommate and other students who’ll be joining you at your college. You’ll no doubt meet your future college mates at visitations and orientations and have the chance to exchange e-mail addresses.
Otherwise, your college’s student services office can probably put you in touch with your future roommate.
By establishing relationships with future colleagues, you’ll realize the importance of getting into college and perhaps be more committed to academic performance.
