We have written to the Centers for Disease Control to request that they issue a warning regarding an unstoppable and life threatening epidemic that strikes 9 out of 10 high school seniors: Senioritis. Early symptoms of senioritis include: excessive hair growth, poor grooming, refusal to change out of pajamas, laziness, excessive sleep, and thumb cramps following long video game sessions. Advanced symptoms include: lack of studying, repeated absences, dropped classes, and a generally dismissive and uncaring demeanor. Students exhibiting these symptoms must be treated immediately lest they experience one or more of the following long-term consequences:

• Students on the wait list may easily be rejected
• Colleges may reduce or rescind merit based financial aid
• Colleges may place the student on academic probation before he ever even steps foot on campus
• Colleges may rescind offers of admission

The only known cure is a phenomenon known as graduation, but early treatments can prevent long-term, crippling consequences! Students demonstrating these symptoms should be brought to C2 Education for treatment. Alternatively, if you’re made of stern stuff, you may opt to treat your child’s illness at home. Students suffering from symptoms of senioritis must:

• Resist the temptation to drop challenging courses: First, colleges most likely will ask to see your final transcript. Explaining the drop off in course work might be awkward. Second, students on the wait list will appear less attractive – not the best method for earning admission. Third, your brain is like a muscle – use it or lose it. A lazy last semester will make the first semester of college all the more difficult.
• Keep those grades up where they belong: Again, colleges will see final transcripts and a significant drop in grades raises questions. Moreover, poor final semester grades could result in a college rescinding an offer of admission or reducing merit-based aid. To a college, an accepted student who performs poorly in the final semester is like a car that stopped running after you bought it: a lemon.
• Follow up with colleges: If you applied regular admission, it’s doubly important that you stay on top of your game because you haven’t gotten in yet. In addition to maintaining your high standards, it is important to follow up with the schools you applied to – make absolutely sure that they received all of your application materials.
• File the FAFSA and evaluate aid packages: See C2’s financial aid primer for more help. Even if you don’t think you need to, it’s a good idea to file a FAFSA and to do it sooner rather than later. Once your aid offers roll in, be sure to compare packages with a clear and pragmatic mind to ensure that you select a college that not only meets your wish list but also doesn’t break the bank.
• Visit the schools you got into: Once you’ve gotten a few acceptance letters, visit the schools. A campus visit can often provide new information that will be incredibly helpful when selecting which school to attend.
• Reply on time: Don’t wait until the last minute – or after the deadline – to notify the college of your choice that you will attend. Particularly at selective schools, you may find that the class is over full by the time you bother to let them know you want to enroll.
• Notify reject schools promptly: It’s also kind to notify the schools you won’t attend in a timely manner. This won’t help you (since you obviously don’t need the help) but wait-listed students will thank you for ending their time in wait-list purgatory.

For many students, this final semester is merely a giant waiting room to be inhabited until the next phase in life, but students must be reminded that these last months in high school still count and should not be wasted. If your child is exhibiting the warning signs of senioritis, it’s not too late to help: Motivate your child to keep up his efforts and, if all else fails, visit C2 Education for help!