However, some seniors may feel stuck finding the next step or find it difficult to stay motivated and focused. It is totally okay if seniors have not signed or made their decision by the early signing period; many seniors sign in the spring but still face these same challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few tips that might help these seniors stay on the right track.<\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: Ella Walsh<\/p><\/div>\n Staying in the present moment can be extremely difficult when there are so many exciting things to look forward to. Sometimes once athletes commit, they think it\u2019s okay to relax. That is not okay – athletes need to continually put in the same effort, show up to practice ready to go, and work just as hard in the classroom. Turning that excitement about college into motivation is a good tool so you can show up better than you were while being recruited. Many years were spent trying to become the best swimmer you can be and impress college coaches, so don\u2019t lower your self-expectations just because you have committed and signed.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: CJ, flickr<\/p><\/div>\n Don\u2019t let senioritis overpower you and all your hard work. Many seniors start to demonstrate decreased motivation levels in school and possibly even the pool. It can be hard to not get caught up in senior activities or want to miss a practice to hang out with friends. Final semester grades still count, and how hard you work in the pool can reflect how prepared you are going into college. In order to stay focused on the now and stay motivated, set new short and long term goals to help hold yourself accountable. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: Allison Beebe<\/p><\/div>\n The NLI is a binding agreement to attend the institution listed on the NLI for at least one year. The NCAA Eligibility Center has many guidelines that cannot be violated in order to compete in college. It is important to make sure that you maintain your eligibility for intercollegiate competition before and after signing the NLI. Abiding by the agreement made in the NLI is essential to not lose the ability to compete and represent the university, but it also ensures that you are not penalized and lose a year of competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: Jonas Weckshmied<\/p><\/div>\n Often times, we take things for granted and don\u2019t realize it until they\u2019re gone: home-cooked meals, your pets, your own room, etc. Arguably the most important is spending time with family and friends at home in order to maintain those close relationships when you go off to college. You will reflect back on those times and be so thankful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Be in the moment – don’t waste your time by just going through the motions. Aim to make yourself better every day in each realm of life, and you\u2019ll be thankful and better prepared by the time college rolls around.<\/span><\/p>\n All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Courtney Mykkanen, Swimming World College Intern. Signing the National Letter of Intent is always an exciting time for high school seniors who have made their final college decision. Updates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6846,"featured_media":128967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,17,8],"tags":[37530,72443,72442,53189,72423,72441,55653],"class_list":["post-338688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college","category-commentary","category-high-school","tag-courtney-mykkanen","tag-elligibility","tag-elligible","tag-national-letter-of-intent","tag-nli","tag-senioritis","tag-signing-day"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nStay present.<\/h2>\n
![\"bluefish-warmdown-pool\"](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/bluefish-warmdown-pool-700x500.jpg\")
Senioritis is just a word.<\/h2>\n
![\"tired-class-asleep-exhausted\"](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/tired-class-asleep-exhausted-700x500.jpg\")
Stay eligible.<\/h2>\n
![\"santa](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/santa-clara-swim-club-signing-nli-700x500.jpg\")
Enjoy it while it lasts.<\/h2>\n
![\"jonas-weckschmied-healthy-meal-dinner\"](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/jonas-weckschmied-healthy-meal-dinner-700x500.jpg\")