Students work diligently in the AP Physics C Classroom

As every student has known since preschool, the two most important parts of academic achievement are working hard and doing as well as possible. These two precepts are drilled into every student since their childhood. From parents to teachers, the message never wavers; work hard and do the best you can. However as senior year progresses, and the dark specter of college applications looms menacingly above a student’s head, an uncomfortable question arises. What are colleges really looking for? In an ideal world students would always be able to achieve high grades in difficult courses, but sometimes this is an unreasonable expectation. There are times when it comes down to a choice between taking a hit in the GPA to participate in a difficult course, and cruising through an easier class option for a high grade. However, when faced with this decision, many students are unable to make pick the option best for them. As a senior I have made this decision many times, and have found a few things to be true. From colleges; whether it is an AP or general education class, taking the more difficult course is generally most attractive, your GPA shouldn’t stand in the way of your interests, and seniors slump with good reason.

While it may seem obvious that colleges like to see challenging courses on student transcripts, making the decision to struggle through a challenging course looks easier on paper than it actually is. “I always tell students that a stronger course load is good,” said Andrew Flagel, Dean of Admissions at George Mason. “My rule of thumb is taking a “higher level”  course is nutty if a) you think you’ll get a [proportionally] lower grade, b) you think the workload will be so onerous in the course that your efforts will bring you other grades down, and c) you have a low interest level in the subject.” Many students don’t find out that a class is a bad academic fit for them until they attempt the class, and see the impact it has on their course load. Taking courses to try and find out what is a good educational fit is part of the process to choose a successful career, and students shouldn’t be afraid to take courses just to try them out. Students should always carefully consider their own schedules, and realistically weigh how much time they are willing to spend on a subject during a given week. “My personal advice is to never let a potentially weaker grade deter you from exploring your interests,” said Flagel. “Making decisions on your educational or extra-curricular involvement based on what decisions on your educational or extra-curricular involvement based on what a bunch of admissions offices might or might not do is weak sauce.”

Trying to interpret what admissions offices want to see in a college application, as well as getting all of the recommendations essays and everyday coursework compiled stacked and sent out to all colleges, is an inherently stressful process for all parties involved. Simply staying afloat of all of the surrounding coursework while juggling revisions and rewrites for essays and scouring the internet for scholarships often leaves seniors drained. “Senior Slump” is the term for when seniors at T.C. start losing focus on school, leading to slipping grades and student performance. While the atypical reaction to this phenomenon that is classically T.C. is a disapproving shake of the head, how appropriate is this reaction? No, attending school is not the same as a full time job. Yes, college work is far more taxing than anything high school can come up with. However, does future difficulty really take so much respect away from overcoming the trials of today? When did four years of constant effort, focus, and dedication become less of an achievement than an expectation? As strange as it may seem it was the seniors themselves. After four years of the balancing act called high school, with all of its peaks and pitfalls, the idea of not graduating feels like a crime. So why the slump, so close to the finish?

Senior slump is the result of misguided desperation for a break, after a sizable amount of effort. The idea that students’ grades are not seen after the first semester is a complete myth, which can leave students without a scholarship, or even a college. “All schools require a final grade report because they want verification that the student actually graduated, so that would include a final transcript that shows [a student’s] final grades for the year” said Guidance Counselor Elizabeth Neace. “So schools most definitely see the grades a student finishes with.” When students apply for college they agree to send in a current transcript, as well as a midyear report to colleges to display their academic proficiency. The reason that many students are unaware that colleges see their final grades is because the school handles it without the need for student action. “Some students who have been accepted based on the material submitted, and if their grades drop significantly by the end of the year, that college may rescind its acceptance,” said Ms. Neace. “So as much as students think they’re in the clear, and their mid-year reports are fine, they might be in for an unpleasant surprise.

People often see the student reasoning for senior slump as, “I feel lazy so I choose not to work.” Honestly as an occasional follower of this logic, it is difficult to explain. However, it is not the core philosophy behind senior slump. Being a senior with a reasonably difficult course-load, I often find my nights and weekends full with essays, assignments, and other school related work. Yes, I did sign up for AP classes, which require a lot of work. Yes, I do know that if I pass the AP exam with a high score, I could receive college credit. Then if I know all of this, how could I possibly lose focus and slack off, so close to the finish? Simply put, I’m tired. Perhaps this is selfish on my part, but that does not make it any less true. This school is filled with an incredibly diverse group of individuals who put a great deal of time into their work, whether teaching or learning, in order to succeed and often have to go through a great deal resistance in order to do so. The heart of the matter is motivation, and seniors slump when they no longer see the point in working hard.

As a senior who lost faith in the school for a little while, I know that the platitudes of well meaning family, friends, and school are often grating. “Don’t lose focus, school’s almost over. If you do well on the AP exam you get college credit. You need to pass these classes with high grades so colleges will see you in a better light.” Yes, these are all true statements. However, people don’t need someone telling them what they already know. If you were to ask any student at T.C. whether or not getting good grades and maintaining a high GPA was a good thing, they would fall over laughing. Students don’t need to know that doing well is better than failing; they’ve known that since grade school. Seniors need to know that the end result of all their hard work is not college, though that may be a happy side effect. The end result of hard work in high school is the ability to add value to a world where people take more than they leave behind for the rest of the world. Success in high school means that you are nationally recognized as someone who can have a legitimate impact on the world, and sometimes people forget it.