Senioritis is a disease contracted by most high school seniors. Its onset might be hard to recognize because it starts innocently. But once the disease has taken hold it can have a devastating effect on your senior’s future college aspirations. As with any disease, knowing the symptoms is the key to an early diagnosis and treatment.

All kidding aside, however, senioritis is a very real problem for most students, especially if they have already been accepted early decision or early action. They are coming into the home stretch and it’s only natural for them to try to rest on their laurels, so to speak. But every parent needs to be vigilant and act to stop it before it’s too late.

What are the symptoms?

Senioritis usually sets in as the holidays end in January after the winter break. The symptoms are obvious: laziness, lack of study, underachievement, skipping classes and lack of interest in school related activities, especially academics. They may be slight at first—a low grade, a lackluster composition, or an unwillingness to study for a test.

What is the diagnosis?

Senioritis is something students feel they deserve. They’ve worked hard and most likely have completed all their college applications. Why not skate through the last few months? Why not skip a few classes and not study as hard. After all, the colleges already have their grades. No harm. No foul. Or so they think!

What is the cure?

It’s simple: a reality check and ultimately graduation. This attitude can quickly affect their final transcript and possibly cause colleges to re-evaluate their offers of admission. Colleges look at those transcripts and if it appears that the student has not remained committed to academics and their grades drop dramatically, they will ask themselves if the student is college material. Read the college acceptance letters carefully. Many times colleges include clear warnings to students, informing them that admission is contingent on successful performance throughout senior year.

What can you do?

Pay attention to your senior’s study habits and grades. If you notice a slip, have a conversation. Pull out the acceptance letter and have them read the fine print. Remind them that the end does not justify the means. Once that’s done, create a plan to move forward during senior year:

• Stick to a schedule—Your student may not have the motivation to study as much as he did prior to college applications, but that doesn’t mean he can ignore homework entirely. Schedule periods of time each day to do homework. Sticking to a homework schedule can help your student stay on task and on track.
• Join a study group—Studying with other students is a good way to not only spend time with friends, but also ensure your student gets their assignments completed and turned in on time. There’s a certain amount of accountability involved when he studies with others.
• Create a calendar—Add the big academic events on a calendar: midterms, final papers, group projects, and research papers. Planning ahead will help your student keep on top of all their assignment due dates. Consider syncing your calendars (parent and student) so you can provide gentle nudging and reminders if needed.
• Attend teacher conferences—Parents tend to back off on this task during high school. At the very least, let the teachers know you are an involved parent and would like a heads up if your student is falling behind. Teachers are always willing to help if they know the student is committed to their class and doing the work.

Senioritis is a very real problem. Once the college applications are submitted, students tend to relax. But as stated previously, colleges will check final transcripts. If there’s a red flag there and they see the student wasn’t committed for the remainder of the year, colleges will often withdraw their offer of admission. After all the hard work both you and your student have done, it would be a shame to throw it all away because of a case of senioritis.