Symptoms: Laziness. Skipping classes. Failing to study hard for tests or to write coherent papers. Disinterest in school-related academics and activities.

Diagnosis: Senioritis

Prescription: Graduation

Avoid the epidemic. Don’t catch senioritis. Slacking off in your senior year may seem like something you feel you deserve, but chances are you’ll do yourself more harm than good.

One, you’ll miss out on a half-year worth of learning. This will leave you less prepared for college.

Two, college admissions officers really do pay attention to what you’ve accomplished in your senior year. They look at your grades and your activities and, in some cases, your more recent Facebook postings.

The temptation to blow off school and all the work involved is especially strong when students have already have been accepted into college.

But, did you notice if your college application package included a form called the mid-year grade report? Your counselor will fill it out and send it off to your college when the time comes and it will become part of your full admissions evaluation.

Colleges do have the right to block your admission and students do get booted. Read your college acceptance letters carefully. Many times colleges include clear warnings to students, informing them that admission is contingent on successful performance throughout senior year.

The number of students who get their acceptance offers withdrawn is small as the drop usually needs to be significant before colleges go that far. However, colleges can and do punish in other ways. A student may receive a harsh letter warning them to get it together. Or he or she may need to explain, in a letter or a phone call, what happened with their academic performance. A drop in performance can also result in consequences such as getting dropped from an honors program or having your admissions postponed. These situations are not as rare as you may think.

Generally, the more selective the college, the more weight is put on what you do in your last semester.

Don’t plan on doing anything really stupid either no matter where you plan to go to college. Colleges regularly rescind admissions offers from students who get arrested or suspended from school for unlawful or prohibited activities like drinking.

The International College Counselor recommendation is to take preventative care. Senioritis may not be curable but it is treatable: Stay active. Stay involved. Stay focused. Stay on your regular schedules. Take a college course to get yourself more prepared for college. The credit may even count at your school and that’s one less class you’ll need to take.

You have a whole summer to goof off if that’s what you want to do in between shopping for new towels

The college advisors at International College Counselors are available to help you. Please contact us with any questions you may have.

International College Counselors Main office: 954.253.5719

International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. Mandee Heller Adler, college admissions consultant and Founder of International College Counselors tailors her college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Our college advising company works with domestic and international students. Let us help you make the best decisions in choosing, getting into, and paying for college.