By Kelsey Johnson
May 25 will be here in the blink of an eye, and seniors may feel like they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. One final semester and that degree will be theirs, all hard work will finally pay off. At a time when ‘senioritis’ is spreading like the flu, seniors cannot afford to take their eye off the prize. Like the flu, there are tips and tricks to combat senioritis as well.
Senioritis is characterized by a lack of motivation, exhaustion, and boredom. Academic Advising Coordinator, Gavin Bethea, at Lander University’s Academic Success Center, has tips and advice to push past senioritis and finish out the spring 2018 semester on a high note. Bethea said that it is not uncommon for students to make it to their last semester only to fizzle out and even fail to graduate.
Luckily, if a student starts to feel overwhelmed and begins to exhibit the symptoms for senioritis, the Academic Success Center has many available services to combat those symptoms. Two services Bethea highly suggests are GPA calculations during an advisement meeting, and tutoring services. GPA calculations determine what grades are needed throughout the semester to attain a certain Grade Point Average for graduation. Tutoring services are available to all students, but it is suggested that seniors really take advantage of this service. Bethea suggests that students do not wait until they are in trouble to get into contact with a tutor. “There is a misconception that you have to be failing to need tutoring. That is not the case. You can come in to get tutoring to help you get an A or B in a class if you need that for your GPA,” Bethea explained.
One bit of advice Bethea had for non-seniors is to take a few extra courses during the summers to avoid taking a too many hours during their final semester of school. If someone takes 12 hours instead of 15 or more it can help them to feel less stressed and keep them from stretching themselves too thin.
In the end, Bethea offered these words of wisdom, “At the end of the day it’s the student who earns the grades, the GPA, and the diploma. The advisors and tutors may help to push you, but it’s up to .”
