With so many distractions these days, how is it even possible for teenagers to actually do their school work? In a world filled with movies, video games, Ipods and television, it feels like almost a miracle that teenagers can get anything done at all, because who wants to do an essay when its much more easier and much more fun to play Guitar Hero? Back in the old days before computers or any of that, there weren't as many distractions to deter teenagers from their school work but it was also not as difficult to be what you wanted to be when you get older- not as much schooling. So as the difficulty of schooling gets higher, so does the distractions and so does teenagers' efforts to work harder to be all they can be. 
The dictionary describes procrastination as being: “A type of avoidance behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.” Which basically means, “I'll just do it later.” Especially in a school gearing up for summer, most students minds are already on vacation and it makes it even harder for them to get things done.
“Well most students, by the time when final exams roll around, aren't even in 'school mode' anymore, they just want to get it done as fast as possible so they can go on vacation.” says Dr. Pierre Bourgeois, a general psychologist who has to deal with some students suffering from something known as the “Student Syndrome.” According to Dr. Bourgeois, the “Student Syndrome” is a term for a special sort of procrastination in school work, it basically refers to students who only begin to do an assignment, or study for an exam right before they have a deadline to meet.
“It's actually a very common thing, students think that they will get just as good of a mark if they only apply themselves right before something is due, and then do whatever until that time comes up.” Dr. Bourgeois went on to say.
In 1992, a study showed that 52 % of students (in the sample group) indicated having a high problem of procrastination and that they needed help to try and get them out of that stage that they are preset on. Many students that do procrastinate are what psychologists sometimes call, a “genius procrastinator.” This type of procrastinator is very successful at school and normally waits till right before a deadline to work on it, but is still able to get a good grade because they are smart, they also work well under pressure. “Being a 'genius procrastinator' is also a very common thing as well, since they're so smart then tend to relax more and keep waiting until the last minute to do their assignments but remarkably, are still able to produce a competent assignment. Imagine what they would produce if they would actually use their time productively and work on their assignments then just at the last minute.” remarked Dr. Bourgeois.
Thomas Hunt is one of these so called “genius procrastinators,” even admitting it himself. “Well I don't know, I was always smart but when I got to high school, everything changed. I still do well though but I do it all like the day before.” said Hunt, who is a second year student at Champlain College in Longueuil. Thomas is in Pure and Applied sciences, which is a tough course to stay in, and he says that he manages to do everything but it's hard doing it all last minute. “I don't want to leave everything last minute but it just happens that way I guess. There's so many other things I can do, and if I still do good with leaving it last minute, then that's what I'll do.” commented Thomas.
According to Dr. Bourgeois, that's the problem with “genius procrastinators.” If they think they can still get good grades, even though they know they could get better ones, and still do the things they love to do, then they won't want to stop procrastinating, they don't really see a point to it. “Although it is sad, they normally get over it on their own when the work gets to hard to procrastinate all the time, and it better then the alternative, which is an 'overwhelmed procrastinator.'” said Dr. Bourgeois. An 'overwhelmed procrastinator' is a student who will just stop doing their work because they feel overwhelmed with pressure.
Especially in the CEGEP and University level, some programs such as Health Science, Pure and Applied Sciences or Liberal Arts, the pressure could be almost unbearable for some. “Near midterms or the end of the semester everything just piles up,” said Josh Wilken, a Health Science student, “and even though you know you have to do it, you feel like you have to stop before you explode.”
Although waiting until the last minute can get you in hot water, some students don't think that there is anything wrong with it. “I don't really feel bad about it [procrastinating],” said Joe Esteves, a 2nd year Dawson student, “I still get to do what I like to do and still get my homework done. I feel confident that when the time comes and things get harder, that I can snap out of it.”
Of course, there will be consequences in one's procrastination, your mark would surely be affected by your decision. The more it develops, the more you do it in every day life, not just at school but everywhere, generating bad outcomes for your present and future. “I'm not scared, I can get out of it when I want, I just don't have to right now,” said Esteves.
Another type of procrastination some students would suffer from is a lack of motivation in school, they can never find anything academic interesting, so they don't bother to do it. Patrick Dunphy, a 19 year old Liberal Arts student, sometimes has this problem. “On a couple of occasions I just don't feel like doing an essay so I won't do it until I absolutely have to, instead I'll go out with friends or play Guitar Hero.”
Dr. Bourgeois says that most teenagers develop this state of mind in high school, where, for most teens, it's not that hard to get through it especially if you're a “genius.” But since you're already in this state of mind, once one gets to the college level, it gets a lot more difficult. “If you're still doing it in CEGEP, it's not an easy thing to get out of,” he says, “but if you want to get out of it, what I can suggest is, primarily, to do the work when it comes in, a bit at a time, that way, it'll be done before you know it.”
Dawson, other CEGEPs, and other institutions also hold workshops on how to get of procrastination. You can also visit a counselor for help in this area.
