College Admission Help

College Counselor Advise: Senioritis - Goof off now, pay later
By Lauren Starkey
College Admissions Examiner
It’s tempting. You’ve been accepted to college, with one foot out the door. But the other is still firmly planted in high school. Why bother with those end-of-the year projects, assignments, and finals? Your friends are partying, hanging out at the beach, or sleeping in. Joining them sounds like a great idea.
When senioritis is spreading faster than the latest flu strain, it’s time to point out why checking out of high school a few weeks too soon could cost you—big. The most severe casualty could be your admission to college. Kevin MacLennan, director of admissions at the University of Colorado in Boulder, says each year about 50 students have their acceptance rescinded. He tells 9news.com in Colorado, "We want to make sure that the student understands that we're serious here at the university about the student coming in, academically ready to be successful. The grades on which the student used for admission, those grades should be similar at the time they graduate from high school.”
Tamar Lewin of the New York Times recently wrote that colleges are noticing a trend of increasing senioritis and its effect on final semester grades. Middlebury and Connecticut Colleges said the number of offers rescinded was on the rise. A number of other schools reported that they send warning letters of varying degrees of seriousness, depending, as one admissions officer noted, if the problem is a “big oops” or a “little oops.”
But even if your offer isn’t rescinded, and you don’t received what the Dean of Admissions at Reed College calls a ’’Come-to-Jesus’’ warning letter, your senioritis could still come back to haunt you. Here’s the reason: more than half of American college students graduate from a school other than the one they started at, and that number is growing. If you want, or need, to transfer, your entire academic record will be considered. And a serious dip senior year won’t help your cause.
There are only a few weeks left. It probably won’t hurt to ease up a little, but you could damage four years of hard work slacking off now. Stay focused on your future and keep senioritis at bay.



College Counselor Advise: Senioritis - Goof off now, pay later