<p>For the first time, the University of Washington is systematically revoking the admission of high-school students who slack off during their senior year.</p>
<p>Over the summer, after reviewing final high-school transcripts, the UW rescinded 23 offers of admission to students who had been accepted in the spring. And by the time classes began last week, an additional 180 freshmen had received stern letters rebuking them for the "significant downturn" in their academic performance.</p>
<p>The phenomenon is so widespread it's developed an informal name: "senioritis," the tendency for high-school seniors -- feeling assured of a university slot -- to lose motivation, stop showing up to class, drop courses and generally slack off.</p>
<p>The UW plans to get even tougher next year. Officials say it's only fair to those students who work hard right up until graduation. [snip]</p>
<p>What makes these universities think that a semester of breath will make students less likely to work in college? I remember working my butt off sr year, and during the summer (strenuous job)- I was exhausted my first semester in college.</p>
<p>While it is clear these students this to themselves, if the university didn't signal that this was a significant and real risk (more clearly than their standard boilerplate), this strikes me as cruely punitive. I think of a friend whose life took a very wrong turn when a nervous breakdown during her senior year (as her parents divorced and her father went bankrupt to prison) meant she couldn't finish her second semester of her senior year and had to give up her admission to a University of California campus; her life has gone sideways ever since and she's never finished college. Why couldn't they just have delayed admission for a semester? In any case, the word will go out, I am sure, and this won't happen as much again.</p>
<p>I doubt UW kicked out kids whose As turned to Bs. Probably kids whose As all turned to Cs and Ds.</p>
<p>Our GC said that Boston College rescinded the acceptance of a kid from our hs a few years ago. Once he was accepted to BC he decided he didn't need to do any homework any more, and his grades went WAY down. </p>
<p>This needs to be posted in the HS Life forum. There are several threads about kids dropping classes as soon as they get accepted to college.</p>
<p>I know of two kids who were rescinded: one rescinded from UCSD for getting a D in math, the other rescinded from Yale for getting two Cs. </p>
<p>For some reason many kids think it is all a bluff. I've never been able to understand why kids would work for 11 1/2 years years to get into their top choice school and then risk throwing it all away right at the end.</p>
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<p>I think of a friend whose life took a very wrong turn when a nervous breakdown during her senior year (as her parents divorced and her father went bankrupt to prison) meant she couldn't finish her second semester of her senior year and had to give up her admission to a University of California campus<<</p>
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<p>It sounds like the reason she had to give up her admission in this case was because she never finished high school. Every college that I'm aware of will not rescind if there is a legitmate explanation for the grade drop - health problems, death in the family, etc. It's plain old laziness that gets you rescinded.</p>
<p>And then there is this from a speech welcoming the class of 2009 by the UChicago Admissions Dean talking about why they arrived so late in the year (school begins the last week in September), they seem to have be a little understanding of senioritis:</p>
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We hope, just because you imagined that when you arrived you would catch a whiff of the corpse of fun, that you didnt delay your departure. Maybe you thought you got the wrong letter! Or, that we changed our decision we found out that you didnt study for your calculus placement exam, or read The Iliad, or memorize French idioms, or, that we really paid attention to your spring semester C- in AP Chemistry that instead you went to the beach, de-tassled corn, or drank a root beer things no University of Chicago student is supposed to do. But we dont make mistakes, and, stare decisus the decision stands (for the next day or so, the Latin phase newscasters will take the most pleasure in saying), stare decisus, unless you really think those old judges didnt know what they were doing stare decisus youre stuck is the English translation.
<p>I think it almost always depends on the severity of the case of senioritis. This happens every year, it's nothing new. I know of several kids through the years who slacked off and had their offers rescinded or were placed on academic probation when they arrived in September. Not a good way to start your college career. I can't imagine anyone is surprised that this happens, every letter of acceptance I've seen has always included the proviso that the offer is conditional on "successful" completion of the school year. If queried, most schools will define successful as, with similar grades to those presented when the application was made. A little wiggle room is given but drastic drops can spell trouble.</p>
<p>An interesting anecdote - from a friend affiliated with one of the nation's best public universities. A kid gets accepted with B plus type grades, but with perfect SAT's. Rational decision for the school - as they likely were not thrilled about the grades, but the guy clearly could do undergrad level work and likely much more. </p>
<p>In any event, the kid slacks off with a bunch of D's - which apparently still entitled him to a hs diploma - and the university (fairly and squarely I think) looked at this as far more than the usual case of senioritis, and rescinded his admission. </p>
<p>The student thereafter brings his mother to a meeting with the school, and the school (inclined by nature to be good to students, in my view), might have given him a second chance if he was willing to do some remediation work over the summer - but no- his mother, as parents can do, rails against the school for their actions as opposed to getting her kid to be accountable for his own conduct (Note to students - if you get in trouble, by all means look to parents for advice and support - but it is your problem, not your parents, and act like you can stand on your own two feet without running to your parents). This of course blew any chance at reconciliation, and the kid sues the school. </p>
<p>Of course, the lawsuit was dismissed so fast it had the half-life of a moth, and the kid was left to ponder the real world and the costs of not working hard. </p>
<p>I got the distinct feeling that senioritis was not a big issue for the school -- meaning - that A's to B's were not going to ruffle them - but that in extreme cases - like this guy getting D's - they would take action. This is in and of itself not a great incentive to keep working hard - but in the end, the kids have to want to be good finishers.</p>
<p>In Washingtons case the offers were rescinded for pretty extreme cases. Failing grades, dropping classes and my personal favorite not taking the classes you said you did on your application. </p>
<p>Part of the Holistic Admissions process is finishing what you started. The Seattle Times article went off like a grenade in our states high schools. For most of our kids Washington is their dream school. There will be less slacking off this year.</p>