<p>An anecdote to add to the pile of threads on this issue. Met a mom today whose daughter was given a likely from an Ivy before November 1st and promised admission in the EA/ED round. Daughter got a 78 on a math test and when Ivy saw the resulting low grade, she was deferred.</p>
<p>She wrote a "letter of contrition", got back in the saddle, pulled her grades up and ultimately received the official admission docs but only in April along with all the other RD applicants.</p>
<p>How did the ivy see that one test? Don’t most schools send semester grades?</p>
<p>They didn’t see the test - they saw the lower-than-had-been-normal grade that resulted from the test.</p>
<p>Accepted ED Girl at Midd had a mean letter sent last spring-79 in BC calc instead of the first term 81…“Better get that grade up or you will be rescinded”. Another poster had a son with a C in AP Physics who was advised not to bother applying ED1…til the grade was a B.</p>
<p>Are you sure she had a proper LL sent by admission, which was rescinded six weeks later for what must have been at least a high C? Sounds a bit strange, particularly since students get LLs with Cs. Now, I’ve heard about schools that promised a LL but then did not issue it last minute, with the student being admitted RD.</p>
<p>beenthere2, I was thinking the same thing. I guess every school is different?</p>
<p>It was a proper LL. And if you read the post a bit more carefully, you would see that it was not rescinded.</p>
<p>Timing is so big a part of all of this. An athlete I know well had great academic and athletic stats in October of senior year. She went on a number of Ivy recruiting visits, but was slow to understand the process. She was offered LL’s contingent on pre-read. She passed pre-read at a couple of schools and coaches were ready to offer LL’s with reciprocal commitment. She wasn’t quite ready to commit. She wanted to continue going on visits after Jan 1. Meanwhile her grades took a pretty big slide from an A average to a B average. Suddenly Ivy coach support evaporated, no LLs were offered after her semester grades were sent. Nothing had changed with her athletic picture- it was all about the grades. </p>
<p>I believe if she had taken an LL in the fall, the admissions department would have worked with her and might have gotten her to recognize her error and she could have recovered by the end of third quarter enough to demonstrate academic commitment. But no school had a relationship with her strong enough to take this step. She’s going to a state school. It’s not the end of the world: this may be the best outcome for her- hard to say. But most people would say she let a tremendous opportunity slip away.</p>
<p>Well, a LL states in no uncertain terms “we will admit you on whatever date.” Being deferred is basically rescinding a LL because potentially you’re back in the application pool — unless there was another letter stating we will admit you RD.</p>
<p>With respect to this story about being offered LL and wanting to wait until after January 1; it might just as well have been that the coach had all his recruits by the time the student made up her mind.</p>
<p>What I’m trying to say is that parents and students tell all kinds of stories, not all of them necessarily true. Not suggesting that they’re lying, but sometimes they hear what’s not being said.</p>
<p>beenthere2, a LL also states in no uncertain terms that the student must maintain his or her current level of academic achievement. When students do not fulfill their part of the bargain, schools have the right - which they exercise - to change the terms of the deal.</p>
<p>beenthere, I know this family very well and it became very clear that her grades were the cause for the change of heart. They were still looking for a runner for her distance into February. I also have “insider” information from the coach side of things, and I’m sure this is an accurate explanation. Yes, I’m trying to put the fear of God into future recruits who think they can coast senior year. They can’t. A little slippage is OK, but derailment is not.</p>
<p>Yes ^^^. If you read the fine print, all likelies, early and regular acceptances are ‘contingent on the applicant maintaining the grades s/he was accepted with’. Last semester final reports can cause rescission of RD; midyear reports can cause rescission of EA, ED, and likely letters.</p>
<p>What about admissions officers who require 3 ap classes your senior year…is that really your normal junior year load. I don’t think its as simple as slacking off your senior year. These kids work very hard to achieve, so if something happens to their grades maybe admissions should be more understanding</p>
<p>The academic expectations (coursework and grading) at most/all Ivy League (and other very rigorous) colleges are likely to be a significant step up from the work and grading in many/most high school AP classes. If a student slips in senior year while carrying a significant AP course load, this should be a red flag. Minor slippage may be ok, but senior year should be seen as an opportunity to become better prepared for college. It generally doesn’t get any easier in college where expectations in terms of writing papers, lab reports, problem sets, exams, etc. will be high.</p>
<p>peonies, yes.
Demonstrating you have the maturity and drive to balance rigorous academics and athletics in high school is the best indicator of how you will do in college. Coaches at every university, but especially at those known for attracting top students and where no class is “easy”, are really not interested in recruiting athletes who lack motivation. These students just become a headache.</p>
<p>The original question was about rescinding LLs. My point was once the LL has been issued and/or EA/ED acceptance, the student is in a much better position to work with the admissions department to express remorse and get the grades back up. I think rescinding is uncommon, but dropping recruiting activity when no commitment has been made in the face of poor fall-of-senior-year academic performance is more common than you might imagine. I’m speaking of the highest-selectivity schools here, of course.</p>
<p>The LL states to “maintain the academic and personal standards that have characterized your performance until now.” Asked what this means, my kid was told “don’t get arrested and don’t get a D.” A 79% instead of an 81% doesn’t strike me as not maintaining the standard.</p>
<p>Also, I’d really like to know how frequently a LL gets revoked. Also, how frequently does an admission get revoked. I would assume that the circumstances are the same.</p>
<p>Anyways, my point was not to believe everything parents or students say. I wish I had a buck for every time someone tells me that a student-athlete is on a full ride (athletic scholarship) at Ivy University.</p>
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<p>Haha, so true. I’ve spoken with coaches who have had kids get their LLs rescinded, but it happens so infrequently that they recall each one very clearly, going back several years. Getting caught up in an ethics / cheating scandal in HS seemed to be one of the biggies. Stories about writing a ‘damage control’ letter after getting a couple of C’s seems relatively common.</p>
<p>Riverrunner’s point about a coach losing interest (prior to LL) in a recruit if the grades drop is a good cautionary tale, though.</p>