Handling Senioritis: The Bare Minimum Approach

Senioritis is no joke. People kid about feeling this deficiency in motivation since their freshman year, but nothing will ever match the emotions felt when approaching the end of senior year. I have about 23 school days left of my high school life and all I can think about to passing my classes with a C or higher. I've gotten into college, I've attended my prom, I've dated my fair share of douchebag teen boyfriends, I've taken too many AP classes - I am done with high school.

Unfortunately, as most seniors know, we're not really done yet. AP testing and finals are right around the corner, threatening to make us fail our classes or have us forfeit any AP credits. Time management is key right now; let's not fool ourselves into thinking we can muster up enough motivation to get us through the year. We just have to find enough time to get homework done and prep for testing season. What's gotten me through these past few weeks is finding a routine that allows me to do the bare minimum. It's not exactly what my parents would want to hear from me, but what do they expect when all I want is to get to college already? All of my free time is going towards planning ahead, so I'm surely not writing this post to tell anyone to go above and beyond at the end of senior year. Do what needs to be done in order to succeed and if you have extra time, do a little more.

Get your homework done, study when you find a sliver of time in between classes. Don't read the book your teacher assigned; watch the movie, skim the sections of the book that you saw in the movie, and only stop to read new scenes. Do you really need your entire lunch period to hang out with friends who you'll see later on? Disappear into the library or a teacher's classroom during lunch to finish the homework you didn't do at home because you were watching 13 Reasons Why.

Beware, though, that this does not become the norm for you. Remember that college is serious business and that you're paying thousands to be an educated member of society - don't let any of the laziness of senior year transfer to university life. The perks of this bare minimum approach, for me at least, is that I have more down time to plan out the classes I'll be taking in the future. I have messaged current students and professors, asking how rigorous the course is. Start applying for jobs, knowing you'll have to pay off student debts fast in order to avoid a build up of interest.

You got this, friend. Many people before you have done this college thing, don't flatter yourself in believing you're incompetent enough to fail at something so many others have done.