Don’t Catch Senioritis! It Could Cost You Your College Acceptance
NBC News By Elizabeth Chuck provided a useful report for college students and parents worried about a school revoking their admission.
The report indicates that even though the “college application process is over, graduation is approaching and spring is in full bloom, making conditions ripe for a highly contagious phenomenon among high schoolers: “senioritis.” Also nicknamed a “senior slump,” senioritis is when students get a bad case of slacking off at the end of senior year of high school. While it can be tempting to stop caring about schoolwork and start focusing more on fun activities like prom and parties, letting final grades slide can have serious consequences.”
“That college acceptance isn’t the ticket to check out of your last few weeks of high school,” said Dr. Kat Cohen, CEO and founder of Ivywise, a New York-based college consulting firm. “Although it’s rare, there have been incidences of colleges rescinding acceptances from students who received very low grades at the end of the year.”
According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 22% of colleges revoked an admissions offer in 2009, the most recent year that the group collected data of this sort. Final grades were responsible for the majority of the revocations — 65.3%— followed by disciplinary information learned about a student and falsified applications.
All colleges, whether they’ve accepted an applicant during early-decision rounds or in the regular admissions period, require a final high school transcript to show that the student has actually graduated. While a drastic drop in grade-point average can affect the admissions offer in extreme cases, more often, there are financial implications that come from shirking your studies.
For example, said Cohen, a high school student who takes five or six advanced placement (AP) courses in their senior year could rack up enough credits to shave off a semester of college by enabling them to bypass college classes — but only if they score high enough on tests at the end of the year. The best way to avoid falling into a senior slump? Keep a routine, suggests Cohen of Ivywise. “It’s very important to set aside time every day to review your class notes,” she said. “Also, students should rewards themselves for completing assignments. Maybe going to that movie with friends is the reward. Did you get your math homework done? Set small, attainable goals.” She also recommended hanging out with positive influences.
“I’ve also seen students have offers of admission revoked for getting into trouble, drinking alcohol on a senior spring trip and getting caught, or doing something like cheating on a test,” Cohen said. “The high school is responsible for telling the college where the student has been accepted, and then it goes into the hands of the college whether they want to revoke the admission decision.”
