'Senioritis' in season"

Parent Cafe
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<p>It's that time of year again - and colleges are warning students to beware of senioritis aka senior slump. Whether students have already garnered a coveted acceptance or are nervously chewing their collective nails, the basic message, as usual, is to keep academically healthy because (and we really don't mind mixing health and sport metaphors) slacking off can mess up college acceptance:</p>

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Like the annual winter flu, senioritis begins to inflict millions of American high school seniors this time of year, right after many of them receive their college admittance letters.</p>

<p>The disease's most critical symptom - a plummeting grade-point average - often hits as the illness reaches an advanced stage during the last half of the year.</p>

<p>But students beware: Counselors warn that slacking off too much can lead some colleges to revoke your acceptance letter.</p>

<p>"Over the 35 years I worked as a high school counselor I've collected senioritis letters sent by colleges to students," said Mary Lee Hoganson, president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "The letters either request that the senior make an appearance at the college dean's office to explain exactly why their grades are falling or inform seniors that they will be put on academic probation their first semester in college.</p>

<p>"I even have a couple of copies of letters where the colleges have revoked their previous letters of admissions," Hoganson said...</p>

<p>Succumbing to "senioritis" is like "planning to play college football but you quit your high school team your senior year," Hoganson said.</p>

<p>"High school seniors have to remember that their final high school year isn't just about getting admitted into college, but rather continuing your preparation in order to be successful in college," she said ...</p>

<p>Experts say effective treatments for senioritis can include sporting events, school concerts and plays, spring break, the prom dance and, of course, graduations in May. All these events can provide reasons for staying focused and staying out of trouble.</p>

<p>Dziczek says schools can do something. "Make the punishment worse for people who don't turn their things in on time. Give them zeroes for whatever assignment they don't turn in on time."</p>

<p>And, Dziczek added, "Give out rewards to people who get everything in on time, every time."

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<p><a href="http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/faculty/displayFacultyNews.php?tablename=notify1&id=612%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/faculty/displayFacultyNews.php?tablename=notify1&id=612&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I worried about this, but a few good classes and the spring play seem to be maintaining focus.</p>

3

<p>Our son had a classmate, a good student who was in the top 10% of his class, who accomplished the ultimate senioritis screw up. He failed his CompLit class and failed to graduate!</p>

4

<p>I don't think my son has senioritis (yet!) BUT I SURE DO! I'm sort of ready to be done with school. All schools. </p>

<p>We were at a concert of his youth orchestra the other night, and it was wonderful, but my mother said to me, "You're going to miss this I bet" and I thought, I don't know...It feels like we've been doing it for a LONG time!</p>

<p>Any other parents with senioritis? ;)</p>

5

<p>Slight case of it here, but only for one class (Physics). She's just not doing well on the tests; doing fine on the homework and labs. Loves her teacher, goes to extra help a couple of times a week. She's doing well in all of the other classes, so I'm not real worried.</p>

<p>Unlike Weenie, I don't have senioritis yet. I'm not looking forward to h.s. ending...she's my lonely only...it's going to be hard for me to adjust next year!</p>

6

<p>I remember being sooo ready when my last kid left elementary school, though I miss some of the parents who I no longer see on a regular basis. It will be weird I think to have kids out of the school system all together, but I've got a few more years!</p>

7

<p>I definitely have senioritis as the parent. The senior has it to some degree where she has opted out of some of the big school play activities, but school work is still getting done although she is complaining about it a lot more. I find that the teachers are going crazy though, such a s piling on extra busy work, grading harder than they have earlier in the year (you need the middle name of the scientist, not just the first and last name) and just giving wrong facts (D had to correct a college prof in sociology--she takes postsecondary classes---had to show prof the page in the book before prof would believe her).
I still have 7th grader though that I'm trying to stay focused on. She gets good grades, but isn't very motivated to get her work done. She'd rather be socializing with friends. How do we parents stay motivated when we are so ready for school to be over with?</p>

8

<p>D seems to have some form of senoritis - says nothing they are studying is interesting (she does attend a very mediocre, rural h.s. - only 2 AP classes offered!). Tried to keep things interesting by challenging herself to random goals - set the curve on the A & P test, etc. </p>

<p>People are constantly asking where she is going to college and she admitted a couple of weeks ago that she is just not that excited about the prospect of going to college (found that a little worrysome!). Has been accepted to two 'safety schools' with full rides (due to NMF), one great school EA, and still waiting on the 4th. We hope when she hears yes or no from the 4th and makes a decision, that will change. We are also sort of chalking it up to the midwest weather this winter - cold, snow, ice, more snow, more ice, and no sunshine! Any they have only had one snow day to show for it!</p>

<p>Weenie - Like you, I am ready to be DONE, especially with the public school system. I've attended every concert, every tennis tournament, every presentation, etc. I feel like I gave it my all and am ready to call it quits. At the state tennis tournament this year, my husband and I took our place outside the fence in our old, ratty, foldable canvas chairs. They had been through 7 years of being hauled all over the region, set up, taken down, stuffed in bags, and set up again. At the end of the last match, we symbolicallyl left them sitting courtside, took one reflective look back and walked away. I plan on doing the same with high school. Definitely won't be one of those parents who continues to attend events (bb games, etc.) when they have no children attending the school!</p>

9

<p>For my daughter, who has an ED acceptance in hand, senioritis has taken the form of slacking off in extracurriculars but not in school. This is OK with me.</p>

<p>And I agree with weenie and MidwestParent. This is my second and last kid, and I am more than ready to be done with the public school system. But in my case, it's not the performances and events that I will miss, it's the bureaucracy, paperwork, and stupid rules and procedures that I will be happy to say goodbye to. Not to mention having to be out the door before 6:30 in the morning.</p>

10

<p>How funny is this? </p>

<p>I was taking some ribbing from my sister (who is 5 years younger than me and has three little kids - 4th grade down to kindergarten) about the fact that I just turned 50. </p>

<p>Then I said,, "Hmmm...Which would I rather be? Fifty? Or have kids in kindergarten!" She saw the humor in that. (She's already tired!) :eek:</p>

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<p>MidwestP: what a difference from when I was in h.s.--my parents NEVER attended any of my sports-related activities--it simply "wasn't done" in our area back then. IOW, there were never any parents at basketball games, wrestling matches, etc.; their kids would KILL them if they showed up. The only spectators were the friends of the participants. The only school-related activies my parents ever went to were music concerts and my youngest sister's art shows.</p>

<p>Now I notice that the gallery at my D's swim meets is almost entirely parents and grandparents; hardly any of her friends bother to show up.</p>

12

<p>Springfield mom...you really brought back the memories. As a 50 year old, I grew up in the 60's and you are so right...parents rarely showed up, and when they did they were considered more of an embarassment than anything else. As one of 8 kids, my mom had more important things to do most of the time, and my dad was usually working 2 or 3 jobs to support us. In high school, the worst part about the Homecoming games was that way too many alumni-adults attended and hogged the seats! Where did today's parents go WRONG!!!! (too many "experts" telling us to be involved...now we have parents shooting coaches for lack of playing time, etc. The good ole days may have had it right.) As for senioritis, I have it super bad: youngest of 4 is graduating in May. We just went to our last (boy oh boy, LAST- that sounds good) parent-teacher conference...we've been going for 23 (ugh, 23!!!!) years. We figured out that's our 46th conference night. No, I won't miss any of the activities...I'm so ready to have weeknights back!</p>

13

<p>Weenie - your post hit home! My mother was considered "old" when she had me and my sister (in 1956 and 1958, respectively - I also turned 50 in the past year). At the age of 45, my mother had one child in college, one in high school, one in elementary school, and one starting kindergarten!! Poor woman!
The only thing I remember her attending was the PTA - what ever happened to the PTA?</p>

<p>Nebat - 23 years of PT conferences - you deserve a medal. I thought 16 years was enough! I was considering baking large chocolate chip cookies, individually bagging them, and handing them out to D's teachers at our LAST PT conferences next month. I hate to say this, but not so much for the teachers, but sort of my own little covert celebration!! D would die of embarassment!</p>

14

<p>Don't want a medal, just want to be DONE!!! The worst part about having kids stretched out is this...there are actually a couple of teachers in her school who were not born yet when we went to the first kindergarten PT conference! One of her teachers competed in high school against D's 2nd oldest brother! As for rewarding the teachers, we 're thinking about sending either a large sheet cake, or maybe cinnamon rolls on the Senior's last day of school. My husband tells everyone that we're having a 15 minute graduation party for her, then a 6 hour Parental Retirement bash....</p>

15

<p>I can think of one thing I won't miss...checking TV news, radio and the web to see if D's school is cancelled because of snow...can't wait until I can't rememberher school closing number anymore...</p>

<p>Today I actually text messaged her to tell her all afterschool activities were cancelled (as per her school's website). Of course, she'd already heard by then.</p>

16

<p>I have mixed feelings. My one and only graduates this year, and she wants to attend school 3,000 miles away. Thank god for IM, email and cell phones! I remember writing letters home, and then having to wait FOREVER for a reply. It seemed the phone call home on Sundays became even more important to get quicker answers to all my questions.
I won't miss the frustration that comes with a child in the public school system, however!</p>

17

<p>As a second semester college-accepted senior, I'd like to know: How much of a fall do your grades need to take to be put on probation or to be un-accepted?</p>

<p>My grades so far have been fine, except for 2 C's 2nd quarter. But they were both in AP classes and both down from B's, not A's. I'm assuming that im fine because I havent gotten an angry letter from my college yet But It would be good to know anyway...</p>

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<p>
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Not sure why the word 'wi*<strong><em>l' was *</em></strong> out of my post #8 (moderator?)

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<p>In CC land the letters s, t, f and u even when imbedded in common English words must stand for something bad. :)</p>

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<p>Mathmom - you are correct - those letters in any word will get ***** out on CC due to kids using certain letters to abbreviate curse words. Moderator Amistad graciously explained this to me and inserted a new word that didn't contain those letters for me. I appreciated this as I told Amistad, I felt like such a deviant having one of my words ***** out! He also removed my post asking why I was ****out. Such a great site - such great people caring for it!</p>

20

<p>I have to admit there are many things I won't miss (along with the one thing---my son's daily presence--that I will miss a lot). Actually some of his HS teachers I'm sort of attached to. And I might still go to the musicals and Scholars Bowl matches because they're fun for me. It's going to be a big, huge adjustment for this mom of an only child. It sounds like the parents of multiples are, understandably, expressing more relief.</p>