Focus is Not in My Vocabulary

    As a senior in high school, you usually have a large group of friends in your class, in lower grades, and also friends that are older and have graduated.  As we reach the two month marker, it is hard to focus and do the work assigned from your teachers.  As I have a large group of friends who are no longer in high school, it is difficult to go home and do my work.  The time limits we receive from being in school forces us to go to bed early and not do activities with your friends during weekdays.  But this group is not limited at all.  When they want to go out and doing something, they are going to do it regardless of the time or day.  It is difficult to be an active "participant" in these circles of friends because of your educational limitations.
    While I consciously know that I need to keep up with my school work and study for tests, my senioritis mind is telling me to forget about it.  I go home with a goal in mind, "Catch up on all of your work and be prepared for school tomorrow."  BEEP!  Text!  This is when my senioritis brain takes over and I'm out the door before I can say "procrastination."  I put my friends first and I rarely regret not completing my assignments.  The next day I am tired because I went to bed at 2 AM and my physics test looks like a foreign language.  But does it honestly bother me?  No because last night was "oh so worth it!"  Towards the end of my high school years, it seems like my memories and time spent with my friends are the most important thing in my life.  In five or six months I am going to be leaving these people, some to never hear from again.  I want to spend time with them, make more memories, and live the most enjoyable life I can before transitioning to adulthood and greater responsibility.
    When I hear people, aka my parents, say that I need to stop slacking off and "get my act together," I tell them that having a lazy senior year isn't going to affect my life in any way.  College Board says something completely different:
 

Not only does senioritis jeopardize your chances for success later on in college, it can also affect your grades—and college admissions officers pay close attention to your performance senior year.
College Board

When I read this, it didn't really affect me.  I brushed it off and didn't think twice about their words of warning because, once again, I am most likely going to put friends and memories first.  While I decide to be stubborn and ignore these words, they also gave some advice on how to avoid senioritis:

Senior year is your opportunity to strengthen your skills and broaden your experiences, in school and out, to prepare for all of the challenges ahead. A successful senior year can help launch you on the path to a successful future... Your continued involvement in activities, sports, and volunteer work will help you stay active and focused throughout your final year. A great internship or career-focused job opportunity can help motivate you to start considering your career options. Meaningful and significant experiences will help prepare you to make informed decisions about your education and career goals.
College Board

I do think that they have great advice.  The only thing I lack, which I need to avoid senioritis, is inspiration.  I am accepted into my college.  I am all set and ready to start college life and all I ever think of when I walk through the front doors of my high school is what I am going to do when I leave the premises.  The last months of high school are going to be tough.  I am going to need to push my senioritis mind to the side and focus on the NOW.  I need to forget the future and worry about the task at hand.  This is the attitude I need to finish high school to the best of my ability.