<p>Hi Everyone … I’m getting overwhelmed with panicked messages from students and parents who are worried about acceptances and/or scholarships being rescinded. It’s not just here on this forum that I’m being queried but also via “Ask the Dean,” private messages, my email account, etc. So I can’t answer you all individually. Here, however, is a blanket response:</p>
<p>It’s impossible for me to know exactly how a particular college or university will react to a dip in grades. Some (e.g., the UC system) publish their “rules” on their Web site, but most don’t. So we can only guess at their policies. But in MOST cases, the drop in grades has to be VERY significant for the college to act on it. Colleges really do NOT like to screw up their class rosters by dumping enrolled students. </p>
<p>Students who already had a couple of B’s on their records along with a C or two will NOT lose their spots for an additional C or two. (pope2014 take note!)</p>
<p>D’s and F’s can be more problematic, but if one course drops and the rest of the GPA is strong (even if not as strong as it was at the time of the initial application), this is rarely a problem either, unless the college Web site states a zero-tolerance policy for D’s and F’s (which isn’t common).</p>
<p>When grades have made a REAL nosedive in the final quarter or semester (e.g. a 3.8 became a 2.8) and there is a legitimate reason (other than senioritis), then it can be worthwhile to ask your guidance counselor to write an explanatory note to accompany the final transcript, which he or she will send out after the school year ends. “Legitimate” reasons might include illness, family problems, or even the fact that a particular class is renowned for being extremely tough. In other words, you want your counselor to be able to say, “This kid wasn’t slacking at the end.” </p>
<p>Alias123 … if possible, your counselor’s letter should focus on the family problems but not on the depression. Admission officials can be wary of students whom they think could bring a serious depression issue with them to campus. While legally they can’t discriminate, I still think it would work in your favor to focus on problems at home (and your counselor can be as specific or not as you like) but to leave out the depression unless it looms too large to ignore (e.g., you were hospitalized and out of school because of it). Chances are good that you may receive a warning letter but nothing more dire.</p>
<p>To all of you who aren’t sleeping while you wait for a bad-news phone call or email to arrive, the easy solution is to contact the college directly and ask if you are in jeopardy. As I’ve said many times before, don’t think that you may be stirring up a hornet’s nest by doing so and that the admission folks wouldn’t notice those bad grades if you don’t mention them. They WILL see all your final grades, and it’s better to know where you stand NOW and not in late June or July. If you do call, be prepared to offer an explanation of the downturn and, if your final grades are really awful, to even propose a “solution” that falls short of a rescinded acceptance. Typically, this “solution” would be to volunteer to put yourself on academic probation right from the start or to check in weekly with an advisor or dean through the first semester. (But don’t propose any of this until it’s clearly a Hail Mary situation.)</p>
<p>Sorry for not tackling each case individually, but keep in mind that I don’t have a crystal ball myself and might even steer you wrong if I did write to you personally. Best of luck to all.</p>