Thirty days.

That is all the time that is left before thousands of seniors walk across the Ohio Stadium field and leave with their diplomas. Many are finding it difficult to focus on school.

“I just do less work,” said Colin Kalvas, a fourth-year in business administration and finance. “Instead of putting in those extra hours to make sure you really know everything, I just assume I can skate by and just do all right.”

The lack of motivation for many seniors might stem from accepted job offers. Or for some, it may be that they are attending graduate schools they’ve been admitted to.

Chelsea Brown, a fourth-year in political science, has already accepted a position with AmeriCorps and has seen her schoolwork decline as a result.

“(I work) the least amount of hours as possible to get the grades I need,” she said. “I don’t go to classes that don’t require attendance if I don’t have a test.”

Brown is far from the only student to have secured future plans.

The OSU Arts and Sciences Career Services Office exit survey of spring 2010 graduates showed that 54 percent were continuing in a graduate or professional program and 18 percent had secured employment.

That’s a large percentage of students who might choose to neglect their studies.

To read the rest of this article, check out Monday’s edition of The Lantern.