It is that time of year again. A truly beautiful time of year. The time of the Glow Dance, Spring Break, the senior Cardinals game and Prom! Each month goes by, leading students closer and closer to that light at the end of the tunnel. However, every Jan. and Feb., laziness plagues students into oblivion. Tardiness is a lifestyle that can’t be shaken. Motivation goes down the toilet along with the energy to learn, especially with the upperclassmen as graduation grows closer.

Don’t worry, underclassmen. You still have time to prepare for what’s to come. You can avoid the dreaded down pour of lethargy with a few simple strategies.

But I mean who can blame us, right? Senioritis is a given right as an upperclassman. College is right around the corner; this is what we have been waiting for. College applications are finished, and some of us are already committing to schools! Woohoo! The new chapter of our lives is beginning and it’s about time! Last semester was probably the hardest in all of high school, and we got through it together.

So now we can just zone out and fast forward to summer, right? No. No, we cannot.

1. Don’t forget your G.P.A.

Your college has accepted you based on the evidence on your transcript. If you fall below their red line, everything you have worked for all these years will become irrelevant. Colleges & universities can revoke your admittance based on your efforts, or lack thereof, throughout your senior year. Make sure you are doing your best to finish your senior year strong. And to you freshmen, sophomores and juniors, every year is important! You have a G.P.A. each semester for a reason: to build your career G.P.A. Every semester is vital for that final number that will decide your future. No pressure, though. Stay focused, determined and success will follow the path you have chosen!

2. Remember your parents.

You are not the only one invested in your future. Your parents will be taking colossal amounts of money out of their pockets to advance your education. You don’t want to crash and burn in front of their feet. And what if you are putting yourself through college? You want to prove to your parents that you can do it, not that it is so easy for you to fail. Keep fighting, seniors. Show the world how amazing you have become.

3. This is your time.

What is something you have always wanted to do? Lose those extra pounds, dye your hair that color you’ve always wanted. Why can’t you? YOLO BABY! It is never too late to change your life. This is your time to be whom you really are inside. Start a blog, learn to sew your own clothes, compose a piece of music. Do what you have always wanted to do. Read that 700 page book you thought you could never get through. Create a bucket list. Go to those places around St. Louis you have always wanted to see. Try that food you thought you wouldn’t like. Be the cultured young adult you’ve always imagined yourself to be. You only have so much time left whether it be 3 years or 3 months. Make it count.

4. Make ways to help yourself.

Buy a planner. Create a checklist. Have three essays due by midnight? Organize > overwhelm. Be sure to read those English books because you have to pass every English class in order to graduate. Don’t hesitate to seek the help of your peers. Make study groups to get through your classes. Study for that ACT. Buy the help books. Be proactive in your education. No one can make you want to learn. You have to find the will in yourself to succeed. And most importantly, SLEEP! You will have more than enough time to enjoy those all nighters with your friends to celebrate the end of your high school career. You are not invincible. You will do your best when you are well rested. Don’t slack off. Come to class on time –> that might even grant you a final exemption! You never know what the world has to offer until you open your arms to it.

Senior year is the time to get excited about the future ahead of you. Freshman, sophomore and junior year is something you have to fight through to enjoy everything senior year has to offer. Anything is possible if you have the will to try. That senior barbecue and lock-in will come soon enough. Don’t give up yet.  Surround yourself with people who will lead you to success, not to your downfall. And hey, if one of your friends throws their arms up in the air and says, “Well, I’m done! I’m a senior, and I just don’t care anymore,” show them this article. It may just click for them that they aren’t finished yet. And if you are just beginning your high school graduation, don’t give up if something drags you down. Do what you must to get yourself through that year and across that stage in May. We are almost there, seniors. This year is our lucky one.