Senioritis is much more deadly than procrastination during sophomore, freshman, or even junior year. The reason for this is fairly simple: College. Procrastination jeopardizes not only schoolwork senior year, but also college deadlines that, if missed, can wreck the future.

Standardized tests, like the ACT and SAT, are extremely important to the admission processes. Although grades and the rigor of the course work are the most vital tools admission boards use to evaluate potential students, standardized test scores are definitely necessary. By now, all seniors planning to go to college should have taken their SAT or ACT at least once (hopefully) and are now aiming for that target score. Setting aside study time without distraction is crucial.Ideally, the SAT or ACT should be taken at least twice, but no more than three times because scores tend to plateau after three attempts. Don’t wait until the last minute and leave no time to retake a test.

Senior grades do count, contrary to popular belief, so don’t let that be an excuse for laziness. The first semester grades of senior year can make or break a transcript, and a few bad grades can undo the hard work of the past three years. If the admission board is at all unsure of an application, the student’s first semester grades are often a deciding factor. Don’t think that early admissions students are safe either because schools have been known to rescind applications on the grounds of rapidly decreasing grades. Students tend to experience an understandable dip in grades at the beginning of their senior year because of the added stress of applications and scholarship hunts, but don’t let it get out of hand. Most importantly, don’t let senioritis and the habit of procrastination ruin what should be a done deal.

All of these things, of course, are supposed to help on the way to the ultimate goal of getting into a good college. However, all this hard work and advice will mean absolutely nothing if there is no college application in the first place.

It’s important to keep track of admissions deadlines for potential schools and stay on top of them because without an application, admission obviously isn’t a possibility. The applications themselves are relatively easy to fill out, but there are a few things that need to be taken care of a little earlier. A transcript needs to be obtained from the high school and an essay may have to be written. The transcript can be picked up from the counselor’s office with no real difficulty, but the essay should be really well thought out. Essays are unique to each university, so make sure to be aware of the topic then consider it carefully before writing it. College admissions essays are supposed to persuade admissions officers to accept students and weed out people who don’t have the character or well-rounded experience to succeed in a university setting.

Senior year is the end of an era, the last chapter of the long story. It’s important to enjoy it because things will never be quite the same after graduation, even if the change is for the better, but don’t let living in the present destroy the near future. Procrastination is a killer during senior year, so keep an eye out and don’t let senioritis sneak in and make you its casualty.