<p>So...yeah.
I admit. My grade dropped the last semester real bad.
I have three C's in three of my ap classes.
I know. I shouldn't have been affected by the senioritis. Even if I was beaten from last three and half years of studying I really shouldn't have let that fact loosen me up that badly.
But I've got the letter and I fully accept and understand why I got that letter.</p>
<p>I honestly don't have any explanation to my grade drop other than my stupid laziness.
What to do? What to write? I need a serious advice on this. I will gladly accept all of your comments on how this is all my fault because it is and how I might deserve this.
But I seirously don't wanna get revoked on my acceptance cause that will ruin my life.</p>
<p>How do I write this letter? I can ask one of my teacher to write supporting letter but I honestly don't know what to write on my letter.</p>
<p>Please help. I'll appreciate it greatly.</p>
<p>Just make up some bogus illness that’s easily explainable. </p>
<p>This is how I see it. Whatever you write, you are probably most likely going to be fine, with a slight chance of actually getting your acceptance rescinded. </p>
<p>By going with the medical route, it gives you a very solid excuse with no way for the school to verify. There are very strict laws governing privacy as it relates to medical history. If the admissions officers aren’t complete knuckleheads, they won’t ask for proof. They won’t even touch this issue with a 9-foot pole. And they obviously won’t rescind someone’s acceptance if said person got 3 C’s due to sickness. It’s just potential for really bad press.</p>
<p>And even in the off chance they do ask for proof, you can still cite specific laws related to how institution/employers are NOT legally allowed to hold your admissions/employment hostage contingent on showing medical unless it directly relates to the study/job (drug test for work, physical for army enrollment). And you basically have a slam dunk because you will have them on record asking you for medical records to be admitted. I am sure they will want to avoid a lawsuit.</p>
<p>Is this guaranteed to work? No. But the probability is higher than just being honest and sincere and say you messed up.</p>
<p>^btw, I am not an attorney and the above does NOT constitute legal advice. OP should act in his best interest blah blah blah.</p>
<p>Do you have a job? Maybe you could say that your hours were overscheduled and you became a little overwhelmed, but it was a learning experience about how to prioritize commitments etc.</p>
<p>OMG! I’m not alone…</p>
<p>I highly doubt you would be rescinded over C’s. They might put you on academic probation for a semester, but I think they are probably just trying to scare you enough to start college on a serious note. I don’t think you need to make up a lie. Just tell them something about taking on too many obligations (social and otherwise), that you learned you needed to be more focused, and that you plan to make academics the center of your world when you arrive on campus.</p>
<p>“I don’t think you need to make up a lie.”
I agree. I don’t think OP NEEDS to make up a lie. I think the chance of getting rescinded is pretty low anyway. But I think OP SHOULD make up a lie, because the chance of getting rescinded is even lower. What’s the worst that could happen if OP gets caught in a lie (and it’s unlikely as I have laid out), get rescinded? </p>
<p>So using hypothetical numbers, two scenarios:
Scenario 1 (OP does not lie and just be sincere)
Outcome A: No Rescind (90%)
Outcome B: Rescind (10%)</p>
<p>Scenario 2 (OP use bogus illness)
Outcome A: No Rescind (92%)
Outcome B: Rescind (4%)
Outcome C: Get caught in a lie, then Rescind (4%)</p>
<p>If these probabilities were true, then OP should obviously lie. Now what these probabilities are, are very debatable. And what OP should do should be based solely on minimizing the probability of eventual rescind based on his assessment of what these probabilities are. </p>
<p>Based on my judgement of the probabilities, I think OP should lie.</p>
<p>Bearcats: that is really bad advice and he’s already in trouble, why compound it?</p>
<p>moongeek: My nephew was in the same situation with his college. He had been really snarky to his parents during his senioritis too, so when he got his letter, he came down a couple of notches. </p>
<p>After he apologized to his parents, I told him to go to the campus with his Dad, and find and talk to the teachers that had given him the lower grades. It was NOT easy. First he had a grueling meeting with the principal who lectured him, asked him lots of questions about attitude, fairness to the teachers and other students, etc. The principal told nephew that the school wasn’t obligated IN ANY WAY to do anything since nephew was no longer a student of the district; but the principal asked them, to return the next day.</p>
<p>Nephew was able to reach 2 teachers who were on summer assignment. They sympathized and were willing to amend his grade if he completed and rewrote some assignments that he hadn’t turned in, and if he would write a letter to future students about the last semester of high school. (His Spanish teacher was especially “cruel” and required it to be done correctly and completely in Spanish-needless to say, he had numerous rewrites) and the 2 teachers changed his grade to B-which they then faxed and sent to admissions in late July.</p>
<p>The important part was that he had to go into the office with his Dad; and Dad had to miss a lot of work, so the snarky, arrogant attitude decreased.</p>
<p>If this is an option for you then go for it.<br>
A couple of Daniel’s teachers were in Europe and Hawaii, so he was lucky that 2 were in town.</p>
<p>Well, some people have morals and don’t lie to excuse their own behavior. I think it’s a very bad habit to develop and should not be encouraged. And i have a feeling the university is looking for the OP to take responsibility and show some maturity. That’s all.</p>
<p>I am going to disagree (with Bearcat’s recommendation), possibly for the wrong reasons ;)</p>
<p>When an employee, for example, blames a shortfall, missed deadline, or otherwise shoddy work on extenuating circumstances, including illness, I don’t actually think much of their capacity or competence. To me, the folks who cop to mistakes earn a little more cred.</p>
<p>So, a student blames 3 Cs on some mysterious medical condition about which they’re cagey and about which their guidance counselor (with whom the adcom may very well check) is completely ignorant. </p>
<p>My takeaway is that the kid may not be mature enough to accept responsibility and put on his big boy pants for the level of rigor expected at UMich.</p>
<p>By contrast, if said kid writes a genuine, heartfelt assessment of the error of his way and expresses a plan to avoid such future lame performance (specific plan details would be effective) I might give him the benefit of the doubt…ONCE ;)</p>
<p>OP, take our comments with a grain of salt but remember that the committee that reviews your letter has probably heard it all and might find a little candor refreshing ;)</p>
<p>“Bearcats: that is really bad advice and he’s already in trouble, why compound it?”
How is that bad advice? I am playing probabilities. You can disagree with my assessment of the probabilities of outcome, which could tilt what the optimal action is for OP, but all I did was laying out a quantitative framework on how to judge what to do, laid out a viable option for the framework, and gave my opinion on where I think the probabilities are.</p>
<p>I guess my point is that there is one thing he should think about, what gives him the smallest probability of rescind. Nothing else matters.</p>
<p>"So, a student blames 3 Cs on some mysterious medical condition about which they’re cagey and about which their guidance counselor (with whom the adcom may very well check) is completely ignorant. "</p>
<p>Actually, they can’t check with the GC. Well they can, but the GC is not allowed to disclose anything, otherwise he/she would be in violation of HIPAA privacy laws. That would make OP a very rich young person suing the school district for damages. </p>
<p>You can bet that most school employees in addition to hospital employees are well versed in HIPAA. When I worked part time for U of M freshman year, they specifically trained us about HIPAA and made us sign confidentiality agreements.</p>
<p>“My takeaway is that the kid may not be mature enough to accept responsibility and put on his big boy pants for the level of rigor expected at UMich.”</p>
<p>That could very well be the case. That would be my thought as well. But see, this is a case where the benefit of being right about your takeaway is so much less significant than the damages of being wrong. The tail risk is so large and I just won’t want to take the risk of denying a kid admissions after he under-performed due to sickness. Imagine the bad press. That IS the beauty of using a medical excuse, or anything that puts the adcom in a bind regardless of what they believe. I was going to say family problems initially but then realized those are not safeguarded by federal privacy laws, giving you less ammo.</p>
<p>^ You should be a psychologist. That would have been my thought most of the time, but in this case, OP was quick and repeatedly accepted personal responsibility for his actions. That is something I value, because it’s very lacking in people of this current generation.</p>
<p>First of all, thank all of you for your advice. I guess I’ll go honest. Although I am very scared I’ll get rescinded…you know, I wasn’t sick.
I was barely sick and it seems sorta weird for me to be completely healthy before college acceptance and be mysteriously too sick to focus on my schoolwork.
But you guys are saying they’re just trying to scare me right? lol hopefully that’s the case. I mean, tho I got C in those ap classes I did get 5 on ap tests…</p>
<p>I guess I’ll just say with increasing work and decreasing pressure I failed to balance my grade with my social life. Be honest, apologize, and present specific plan like nova2nola said.</p>
<p>Again, Thanks for all of your advice.</p>
<p>Moongeek: sounds like you’re a good person. Do what you feel is right in your heart. Remember, Karma is a bear!</p>