Senioritis

<p>So I've been accepted to my ED school and have been a 4.0 student throughout high school. This semester I want to relax a little and would be ok with getting 3 or 4 B's. However my parents insist I continue to get all A's. I find this unfair as I believe I should be able to not be as stressed this semester. Any ideas of how to convince them?</p>

<p>Where are you going exactly? and you are allowed to get b’s just nothing
lower</p>

<p>Sent from my iPhone</p>

<p>Would you be able to take easier classes and get straight As?</p>

<p>Rachel I can’t do that cause taking easier classes can actually possibly cause a rescindment. Getting B’s would not</p>

<p>My daughter threw in the towel once her acceptances were in. She had some health issues mid-year, senior year, so relaxing a bit on school was probably good. You just have to walk the line, so your grades do not drop too much.</p>

<p>Try to relax but don’t stress too much.</p>

<p>Thanks guys. I understand that I can relax a little. But how do I convince my parents?</p>

<p>a word of advice, a A to A- change would go unnoticed. However, I interviewed someone to do a research project with me (I am a prof and parent). part of the application required a HS transcript. I immediately rejected a student who went from all As to all Bs the senior year- sorry, it just says something about you.
there may be instances where a HS transcript is required in your future</p>

<p>Luvthej, thanks for stressing me out</p>

<p>Op,
Here are the pros and cons, and you can tell your parents.
I’m a MD and thus have had to get admissions thru a ton of different levels…undergrad, med school, internship, residency, fellowship. I have learned to study efficiently so as to not burn out…it’s a long road. D wanted to let her grades drift downwards after her SCEA acceptance last year. I was totally fine with it. I did start to stress when a few of the 3rd quarter grades were coming in at high Cs. D pulled them up but gave me a little fright. Her 4 year cum GPA, with the Bs on it, excluded her from cum laude recognition. However, most schools will not see the awards earned in Spring of Sr year (National AP scholar, cum laude). Now that she is in college and applying to other things (internships, jobs), so far no place has asked for her HS transcript. But if they did, her overall GPA is lower due to a few Bs in Sr year.</p>

<p>Before you make the decision to “let your grades slide”…or…to put it another way-not do your best…make VERY sure the school who accepted you ED is not one where you would loose your acceptance.
With that being said…as a parent…we told our DD it was never about the grade-it was doing your best-whatever that was. Live with no regrets, and know that if you choose to not do your best, there may be repercussions. If you have a lot on your plate-then you will have to make tough decisions-but they are your decisions.
The call is yours to make.
I hope this helps.
~APOL-a Mum</p>

<p>I watched my son go through this. His last semester in HS was hard, but he pulled it out. I imagine Bs would have worked after acceptances, but he managed As the whole time. I’d watched him struggling to focus, and he did. He wanted to keep all options open. It was painful to watch, but he did it. Not trying to guilt-trip you OP, but maybe a few more months…</p>

<p>I feel like there are mixed interpretations of what senioritis is–and when it is and is not ok. </p>

<p>In my experience (with myself and my friends), it meant a bit less of an emphasis on school. Hear me out: we were the straight-A dorks who never went to so much as a birthday party on Saturdays because we were too busy studying! Second semester, we went out on the weekends to see a lot of the movies that were nominated for the Oscars that year; hit the malls to do some shopping; even–gasp–went and got coffee some days after school. Our grades didn’t slip or anything. It was just a nice time for us to visit with each other more and put school into perspective. </p>

<p>On the flip side, I know people who really screwed up their second semesters. </p>

<p>My thought is this: relax a LITTLE. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t study (not at all), nor am I saying that you should aim for B’s, or scrape by and do the bare minimum to get B’s. But what I am saying is that you should take advantage of this unique time in your educational life. If there’s something you really want to do (within the confines of decent moral behavior), I don’t personally view this as a time when you should say, “well, I could go to this [interesting event], but I should stay home and do my homework instead.” </p>

<p>Honestly, you should use this time to learn to balance extracurriculars and academics, because that’s what college is all about.</p>

<p>It is nice to see that a parent can demand As and get them.</p>

<p>well if your parents are like mine, where they are deciding their contributions based on grades, well I’d keep them up. But I plan on letting a few things slip senior year. I know it’s going to happen. That’s the reason for finals exemptions.</p>

<p>My college freshman is looking for a summer internship now. She had to list her college GPA, high school GPA, and SAT. She also got in ED last year. She was going to relax, but she was up for Val/Sal. It’s a good thing because her high school GPA still comes in handy.</p>

<p>I agree with those who said that it shouldn’t really be about the grades. Not your fault, but education has just gotten so skewed. Originally, it was about the learning: now it is grades and college admission. Just want to say again, not your fault. I do think that easing up says something about you. UP to you how you feel about that. Chances are, noone will care but you (and your parents)- unless, as you say, you slip far enough for colleges to take note. </p>

<p>Maybe, without the pressure, you could actually enjoy some of your classes (is this still possible?) and work just as hard/do just as well for a different reason. Try it! it could reduce stress just to do the work well without worry about externals like grades/colleges.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice guys. My parents are still adamant about me keeping straight A’s. But what can they do? Semester grades aren’t released until after graduation so…</p>

<p>joeahn…senioritis is not about intentionally letting your grades slide, it is about enjoying the experiences of your senior year. Yes, go out for coffee, go see movies, go to parties, but I am surprised that someone who has worked hard for their grades for 3 1/2 years suddenly would be ok with not working and achieving. Truthfully, you need to be sure you are doing it for yourself, not for your parents. They instilled the work ethic but it is up to you to keep it going. They are not going to college with you, it has to come from within. What you need to find is the balance between enjoying life and working hard.</p>

<p>BTW…this is from a parent who has never had a child get straight A’s, but they have worked hard, and continue to work hard, for their success. To me, success is doing your best, your honest best.</p>

<p>OP–this is not about what your parents can do; this is about what you can do. Your parents won’t be with you in college either. Does that mean you won’t be doing your best there?</p>