Does anyone know if there are repurcussions with Bates admission if you bomb final semester of high school (no F’s but a D, and two C’s) Thanks
Senioritis is a choice, not a disease.
I don’t know about Bates, but lots of schools would have an issue with that D.
I agree with @bjkmom . The D is likely to be problematic. You need to get in touch with your school guidance counselor and ask for him or her to intervene on your behalf.
Thank you. This is about my son, not me. And I agree that the D is problematic, on many levels not simply just fear of revoked admission.
@EKG726 My son did a gap year between high school and freshman year in college. The program he enrolled in:
https://www.cityyear.org/
It was purposeful and the year of service and maturity contributed to his hitting the ground running in school.
I have three daughters too. One took a “semester gap” as a Feb admit to Middlebury. My observation, the girls tend to be more ready. That said, I’m a big fan of gap years for all.
Well, no one should turn this into any absolute assurance about any college. But I know for a fact that one D did not harm my D2. However- and this is a big however- it was one D, from a teacher they fired at the end of seping semester, for rampant issues. The GC immediately went to bat for my kid, showing the solid interim grades through the semester, the arbitrary nature of the grade. And no other blips, no hiccups, no concerns.
But also, she was an early admit, this was first semester and she had time to maintain a solid record, going forward.
Imo, your son needs to be proactive, not wait for this to hit the fan with the college. Be prepared with an adequate explanation. And see if the GC is any help. I suspect it may also matter if the grade is in a course not related to the hoped-for major.
At this point, I think City Year apps may be closed, unless there’s a shortage of kids in your area.
@EKG726 please update this thread and let us know. This question (not Bates Specific) comes up often and advice is given, but rarely is the loop closed. If they don’t pull his admission, they don’t bat an eye, it might be comforting to the next person that has that question. If he takes proactive action and stems a revocation, that would also be useful.
May depend upon which courses resulted in these low grades & why.
Not that I condone senioritis to that degree, but is the D for one marking period or the final grade? If is is just one marking period your S should speak to the guidance counselor and see what gets included on the final transcript sent to colleges (our HS just sends the final grade). If they just send final grades and they are all in the C or better range he is probably OK. Also, if the D shows up on the final transcript is it in a core academic course or something like gym?
If Bates will see the D and it is in a core academic class your S might want to consider contacting admissions to get out in front of the issue. Maybe they will let it slide, maybe he can work out an agreement to remediate the grade through summer school, maybe they will start him on some kind of academic probation – it is hard to know.
FWIW every December our HS guidance office sends seniors a packet of letters from colleges either rescinding acceptances, requiring written explanations of grade drops, etc. (names/dates blacked out of course). It is a clear “reminder” to not let things slide too far second semester senior year.
Some colleges will not rescind but the student will enter on academic probation: one more screw up and they are out.
I will be sure to do as you suggest. He is expoloring options now, but unfortunately his GC went off the grid after school ended. Will probably be contacting Bates to get out if front of this and see about options to remediate the grade.
Thanks for your response. The D grade is in foreign language, and it was the final semester grade which will appear on his transcript. He missed 12 days of school that semester due to a combination of medical (surgery on broken ankle), and sports matches, but should have done a better job making up lost time.
Funny you mention that, because we thought all year that our son would likely take a gap year, which we supported. He ultimately decided to go straight to college, but as he is young for his grade and evidently not mature enough to finish high school strong, the gap year was probably the best idea.
Bates is overenrolled this year so if he changed his mind and wanted to do a gap year the school would probably still be open to it, even at this late date.
My guess is that he won’t be rescinded for a single poor grade, but one option if that seemed to be on the table, would be to offer to take a semester or year off and retake the same language level at a local CC.
Update: My S was still admitted with the requirement to meet with an advisor and attend a time management class that they offer to students in such situations. He received a letter in which the admissions dean expressed his concern and asked for an explanation. The requirements were doled out after they reviewed his response. I have to say it was handled with the utmost thoughtfulness and care.