Most local high school pupils will put together their 2011-12 academic schedules in March, and, while this is an important exercise for every student, it’s absolutely essential for those who will be seniors in September. Invariably some college-bound 17-year-olds who by next January will have already assured themselves of having sufficient credits to graduate will try arranging a relaxing final semester for their senior spring by scheduling study halls at the beginning or end of the day, allowing them to arrive at school late and/or leave early. And while that option may look attractive in the short term, in the long run it is a spectacularly bad one.

Many students will find their initial semester at a university especially challenging not just as a result of any particular courses they’ll take, but because of the many adjustments in their day-to-day lives they’ll need to make in a relatively short period of time. And spending the spring semester of one’s senior year of high school preparing for college by sleeping until 9 a.m. and/or leaving school at 12:45 p.m. is a recipe for failure. Effective time management skills are crucial for success both in college and beyond it, and setting up a soft final term for one’s senior year of high school is not the way to hone or acquire such abilities.

Three and a half decades ago I started college less than three months after sleepwalking through the 12th grade. Given the rural setting of the university I was attending there were seemingly few distractions available to interfere with getting an education, which was allegedly my number one priority at the time. However, then as now there isn’t a college town in America where a young person determined to make poor decisions can’t do so. Unencumbered by direct parental interference during my freshman year, I majored in intramural sports and minored in card games. Knowing the importance of getting eight hours of sleep each night (and that some of my hobbies required staying up late) I began skipping my early morning classes. Later on I stopped attending afternoon classes as well, since they often conflicted with vital intramural football or softball games.

On those increasingly rare occasions when I actually did show up physically at a lecture hall my mind was often somewhere else. It’s probably worth mentioning that I never touched alcohol, which was perfectly legal for 18-year-olds to consume at that time; I also didn’t dabble with any unlawful substances during my college years. But 35 years ago it was just as easy for a lazy, immature, chemical-free person to flunk out as it was for a similarly irresponsible individual who spent most of his or her time in an alcohol and/or drug-induced haze to do so. And although I haven’t lived on a college campus in over three decades, I’ve heard from reliable sources that the same is true today.

After failing two classes, dropping a third, and “earning” an abysmal 1.44 grade point average in my first year at school I acquired some motivation by pushing a lawn mower 60 hours a week the following summer for a princely $2.50 per hour. That and the prospect of doing it (or the equivalent) full-time for the following 40 years helped me re-dedicate myself to academics, and four years later I was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in English.

But not everyone recovers from such a rocky start. It’s also worth pointing out that the two extra semesters I took to graduate cost me approximately $500 each. An extra year at a state school these days would likely cost 20 to 30 times that.

The best way to avoid falling victim to poor study habits is to establish good ones sooner rather than later, and to that end members of the Class of 2012 registering for next year’s courses this month should steer clear of arranging for less-than-demanding schedules. There are plenty of relevant, challenging offerings available, and enterprising seniors can, with a little initiative, often arrange for relevant local internships as well.

For those who are employed after school and/or involved in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular activities, having no study halls and/or limiting their free time means having to do all their homework at home. But while that may be a short-term inconvenience, in the long run next year’s seniors will be far better off learning to use their time efficiently before they (and/or their parents) invest a significant amount of money for the privilege of heading off to college.

There are no shortcuts to success and happiness in life; little if anything of value is acquired without hard work and commitment. The four years a young person spends in high school are the ideal time to learn this, and every student should take full advantage of them.

— Andy Young teaches in Kennebunk, and lives in Cumberland.