As a senior, surviving the last semester seems to be both the easiest and hardest of all eight semesters for most students. Even though for the majority of students classes are not as difficult and they may have a lighter course load, the sentiment of senioritis, ‘that the grades will not effect your GPA,’ is in full swing. This is an experience that I know all students can relate to and each student has to make their own decision to be a survivor of their senior year. By having a full time job and coming close to ending my own presidency within my organization the National Association of Black Accountants, I have had a false sense of security that everything will turn out alright and that especially as a senior, I felt that I had the luxury of being able to lessen my effort without consequences. That, however, is very far from the truth.
Too often, students make the assumption that as seniors, or any student feeling especially lazy or proud of their abilities, we have some rite of passage or privilege to not work as hard and still achieve the same results. Unfortunately, as I can say from several of my personal experiences in the matter, this is not the case. Very plainly, as you continue to put in less thought and effort the final product can reflect that. This may seem obviously incorrect, but it is very easy to get into this flawed mindset. Most students experience these times, it can be as simple as saving a paper until the night before when you know that you should really spend several days writing. And I know that it is not hard for any person to think of a time when they saved something to the last minute, and the final product turned out great. However, the trap is thinking that it can always be like that one time.
For me, I have had my eyes opened to many of my flaws that I did not even know existed as a leader in my organization and working my summer internships. The above example and sentiment is one of them. And personally, it can be scary to deal with our own personal issues, but it is a battle that will be fought regardless of whether you intentionally work to fix your flaws or not. Two quotes that come to mind in these situations are
- “Not making a decision can be the worst decision of all.” – Anonymous
- “It is important to remember that everyone has weaknesses, but you MUST ensure that your weaknesses stay from being a liability on your progress.” – Brian Johnson
These two quotes together discuss that any weakness a person may have should not be so detrimental to their overall character that it affects their larger opportunities, and being slow to decide to address the weakness – or not addressing it all – can be the most harmful. Officially making a decision, and sticking to it, is one of the bigger struggles that I personally deal with and at times, my intentions and actions can be very different.
In regards to surviving college, this year has been the hardest for me. While I have kept my involvement to the same high level of caliber, more is expected of me, and I have not stepped up to the plate in some regards. My own false sense of security has been the dominant force behind it all, and my hope is that after addressing my fault that I will be able to continue to work on this flaw to improve myself. Surviving the last semester is just a time where each college student has to feel the need to dig deep even when the GPA may not be affected, or the classes may not be as interesting, but it is our responsibility to treat this semester with the same intent and fervor as every other semester to learn and grow inside and outside of the classroom. While it is already almost halfway through the semester, I will be trying to continuously work with that intent decisiveness every day.
Kenny –
Even as a junior I can relate with what you — and many other seniors — are feeling. Personally, I experience a similar struggle, except my problem stems from a growing interest and passion in entrepreneurship. As entrepreneurship began to grow on me, and eventually become a part of my life, as I am currently starting a company, I began to experience a rearrangement of my priorities. I look back on my freshman and sophomore years and am awed by how well I did in my classes — how well I motivated myself to perform in all of my classes. Now, my classes are unfortunately no longer a top priority and come unequivocally second to my company. A regular fear that I have is that one day my company may not succeed, and in the event that it doesn’t, I better have a job lined up. Similarly I fear that I am what I like to call mentally unemployable because I know no matter what job I have, I won’t be happy until I’m building something of my own. All of these factors together create a struggle similar to what you describe in your blog. Like you state, I think it is extremely important for us all to first identify and then address these weaknesses.
Kenny,
I totally feel you. I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject myself. I think the really interesting thing is that i do see my life changing a lot. I really have to keep myself more in check this semester than any other. I have a job lined up too, but since I have grad school in mind, I’m going to have to keep my grades up, even in my final semester (and despite my very difficult classes).
I do have a bone to pick with you though. I think that under certain circumstances, it is okay to let your grades slip a little bit. 1) If you have a job, 2) If there’s no way your going to grad school, and 3) You’re working on something else important.
I wonder what your opinion is, but I think that your time can be much higher leverage if you spend it elsewhere.
Hi Kenny!
I remember talking to you last week about the track of your senior year and the struggles you have been dealing with. It seems similar to the end of senior year of high school all over again. You just finished a huge accomplishment and all you want is for everyone to say great job and leave you to being proud of yourself while finally take your well-deserved glory nap. But, of course we can’t do that, (or so I have been told..I don’t think anyone has really tried out of fear of utter and complete failure). My piece of advice that I give you–which I also tell myself every day–is to picture yourself as y=x^2, infinitely extending upward. No discontinuities. No holes in the graph. Just smooth sailing upward. Just keep your momentum and you’ll reach great heights. Good luck, we all believe in you!
Kenny,
Similarly to the individuals who responded above, I can completely relate to what you are going through. Unlike you, I have completed a majority of my commitments to this point and it is killing me. Having minimal responsibility has real taken its toll on me and has caused me more stress than I can imagine.
I am beginning to realize that I need to figure out a way to internally motivate myself in an effort to make sure this mentality doesn’t roll over into the “real world.” It is proving difficult to get back on track but it needs to happen none the less.
As time winds down and the end approaches I strive to re-find the focus and determination we all used to have much earlier in our college career.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.- Aristotle
That’s a quote I strive to live by and hope to rediscover in my actions in the near future. But you’re right. We are surviving and although it may be tough at times we are almost through it and will want it back more than ever when it’s over.
Eric
Kenny,
I think it is wonderful that you can recognize your own short comings your senior year but also focus on some of the good points!
I think one main aspect of your senior year woes that you did not really touch on is the fear of somehow missing an amazing memory! After all, no one wants to look back at their college experience and wish that things had been different. I know many of my friends say “you only live college once.” Of course this can be an excuse to go to a party instead of doing homework, but it can also be a reason to go to an amazing lecture or concert when you know you won’t be getting much sleep! From the sound of it you are VERY involved in many different clubs and organizations all across campus. Although you said you have kept your involvement the same throughout all four years of college, make sure that you spend MAXIMUM amount of time with your best friends (who you might see only occasionally when you graduate) and enjoying every. single. second.
I know I sound a lot like my mom (and I am sure she is going to give me a similar lecture to this one my senior year) but seriously, enjoy it and look back on your senior year and have no regrets! See you in Puerto Rico!
Kenny,
You’ve hit the nail on the head with this post. I am definitely experiencing everything that you have written about. The part about feeling like you’ve done enough over the years that you can do not have to put in as much effort now is my current struggle in my organizations. I feel like the passion has died a bit because I know in a few weeks, I will no longer be a member. I seem to convince myself that my past years of hard work warrants my “coasting” this year. It’s detrimental too, because I am on the executive board in these organizations. Yet, I think your attitude and desire to continue working harder, despite your past mistakes, is admirable. I am trying to hard to get myself to adopt the same outlook, but I think I am also enjoying the lazy life a bit. I know after graduation, I will be working hard, so I kind of enjoy using this time to step back a bit before the next phase of the storm hits.
Kenny,
I really appreciated this post as I can very much relate to the thoughts that you’ve expressed. Everyone knows some of those people who give up senior year, deciding to live every day like graduation is tomorrow and to bide their time going to parties and relaxing, becoming more lax in their classes and outside responsibilities. While I share the same feelings of fatigue with some aspects of school, and am looking forward to moving on to new opportunities, I just cannot respect this attitude. I agree with Kate’s assessment that sometimes laziness can be a coping mechanism for upcoming changes for those who have lined up opportunities after school, and I think even more of a coping mechanism for those who don’t have plans, who may be fearing the future and deciding to enjoy themselves rather than soul search to decide what they want to do, and apply for jobs or graduate schools. I realize that in either case, it’s difficult to face the idea of leaving this second home we’ve enjoyed for four years. But I believe in pushing hard toward the finish line and finishing strong in any race or challenge- and want to be able to look back on my four years on graduation day and be proud of every single achievement, and the ways I spent my time. I’m glad you share the same sentiment and will be working with intent decisiveness toward the end- call me if you need a study buddy any time!
As a sophomore in college, my situation is yet to evolve in to one that is similar to yours. My performance in class and the concluding grades still have a substantial impact on my cumulative grade point average and therefore my ability to ‘slack’ is rather limited. As an accountant myself, I do believe that the work ahead is only going to intensify given the rigor and constant change in our professional field. I appreciate how you have identified that the assessment of our weaknesses and the decision to restructure them are essential to maintaining a sustainable level of progress through our career, both in academics and in practice. This form of ‘continuous improvement’ helps us to gear ourselves into the correct path and keep pushing ahead despite the obstacles in our way. Congratulations on ‘surviving’ through your college experience and I hope you continue to work smart and achieve all that you can.
Kenny,
I completely understand where you are coming from. I’ve been getting frustrated with some of my friends and roommates because while I’m struggling to keep my head above the water they seem to be simply cruising through the year without giving much effort. It’s easy to do this as a senior especially if you’ve already got plan for after graduation. But at the same time, I think there is a lot of anxiety for graduating seniors about the future. Maybe laziness is a coping mechanism for the upcoming changes that are inevitable? The more mature method in my perspective is like you said- remember your intentions and keep working hard through the end. I’m glad you are surviving! Can’t believe it’s almost over.