@premstudent -Again, I’d need to know the specifics in order to weigh in. I’m sure that the college will take this incident very seriously and would want an explanation from the student that might provide some context for the inappropriate email. My best guess is that the next steps could go either way.
@jonkahn -Colleges take D’s very seriously and your acceptance may be in jeopardy. You need to contact the admissions office at UIUC right away. (Email the admission official who oversees international applicants or any other admission officer you’ve been in touch with in the past. If you don’t get a speedy reply, try the telephone.) You need to explain your situation and probably provide corroboration … e.g., a note from an administrator or counselor at your school confirming that you were frequently absent or from a doctor or therapist explaining your medical problems. Good luck!
Alright, so I got my Final Year Grades and was now wondering if I am at a risk for receiving a warning letter in mid-July. I was accepted and will be attending an Ivy League school. Here are the grades-
B+ AP Class
A Regular Required Class
A- AP Class
B+ Honors Class
A+ AP Class
B AP Class
A+ AP Class
A AP Class
A Online Class
Thanks for the help! I’ve really been trying hard this past quarter but AP review made it difficult to do well.
Hey! I got accepted into UIUC engineering and I usually have pretty good grades (3.83 UW and 4.2 UW) I had a 32 ACT score (34 in engl and 34 in math). This semester grades are a little weird. Here are my grades
- AP Physics C: A (likely to stay)
- AP Calc BC: B (likely to go up to an A)
- AP US Gov: A (likely to stay)
- AP Literature: D+ (69, very likely to go up to atleast a C+ but thats the one i'm super stressed about)
- Spanish 4: B (likely to stay)
Its mainly just my Lit teacher and I often butt heads and we do not get along plus he is notoriously known to be unfair. Aside from that, if UIUC does ask me to explain I can give a proper explanation but will UIUC rescind me? Its not like im not proficient in english, I have a 34 in english from the ACT and a 5 from the AP lang test, and I have a general trend of getting As in english.
What should I do?
Hi,
I’m getting pretty scared about UMD rescinding my application because of a drop in grades. My grades are:
Computer Science:A
AP Calc: A
AP Lit:C
AP Physics 1/2:D/D
AP Human Geo: B
I didn’t have the best GPA in the first place(3.38) and I calculated that it would go down to 3.26 in the end. My D was a mix between physics being a really difficult class and senioritis. It is still technically passing and I don’t need that credit to graduate in the first place. I know a bunch of people last year from my school who got 1 or 2 Ds and still went to UMD. The only guy I personally know who got rescinded from UMD got 3 Ds and 2 Cs. I’m just worried sick because I wasn’t the best student to begin with.
I also want to add that I had a really bad concussion in January that kept me out of school for two weeks and affected me all third quarter(Doctor appts like every other week and told not to spent more than a couple hours doing homework). I know concussions don’t affect people this long but this is my second one in the past year and it was really bad.
@skycold-Hopefully you’ll end up with some sort of C in Lit, and then you’ll be in the clear for sure. However, if you do get a D, write to the admission office and “explain.” Try not to sound too whiny. Don’t say that the teacher is unfair and heinous. Say something like, “I’ve always gotten along well with my teachers but this time my Lit teacher and I seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot and I’ve struggled in this class all year. However, I don’t want you to think that it was a lack of effort on my part.”
But how DO you get a D in English when you are clearly capable of doing better? Does the teacher repeatedly give you D’s on essays? I can see getting D’s in math, sciences, and even foreign language … but ENGLISH???
@yusufr98 -Any time a student gets a D as a final grade, it’s important to contact the college and explain. Don’t wait for the college to contact you while you keep your fingers crossed that the college folks won’t notice. They WILL! But usually they will be eager to hear your side of the story. So if there’s a medical reason for poor grades, it’s important to provide it. These days, most people take concussions very seriously and are aware of their long-term effects. So be proactive and contact the college ASAP.
And no one should ever rely on the old, “I knew a kid last year with C’s and D’s who wasn’t rescinded …” theory. Because college policies can change. For instance, one year the freshman class may be overly full, so the admission folks could have itchy trigger fingers as they weed out the seniors with low grades. Then the next year, the enrollment is lower, so the college gives more leeway to the students with GPA drops. Thus, don’t expect any one year to be just like the year before it.
@Sally_Rubenstone Do you think I am ok?
@EricBForPrez - You’re fine, as I said a month ago that you would be when you originally posted here. I’m a bit worried, however, that YOU’RE so worried. When you get to your Ivy League college, you will be surrounded by other students who are both highly ambitious and highly successful. You need to relax and give yourself some wiggle room to NOT be perfect. Have some fun this summer … and at college, too.
@Sally_Rubenstone
Hi Sally,
I recently got into wake forest with decent grades. Mostly As with three Bs last semester but this semester I will be getting Cs in bc calc and an advanced Chem class along with 4 As and 2 Bs. Is this a big enough drop off to warrant me getting rescinded
Thanks
@demondeac -I don’t see the Wake Forest admission folks turning cartwheels when they check out your final transcript. But I don’t see them revoking your acceptance either.
@Sally_Rubenstone
Thanks for a quick reply. Should I contact someone there just in case or is it likely nothing will happen.
Hi @Sally_Rubenstone
I am going to Dartmouth in the fall but I am finishing this semester most likely with 1 C and 1 F in physics as I missed two tests that I was not allowed to makeup. I have had issues with my mother’s illness and several family deaths this semester that blew up my absence totals and thus I will be finishing with an F and 1 C in calculus. Will this be an automatic rescind? I will have Bs and As in my other classes.
@demondeac -I don’t think anything will happen but there’s no down side to being proactive and contacting the admission office to explain the downturn in your grades … IF you have a legitimate excuse (illness, family crisis, change of teachers, etc.) It will make you look responsible … which, of course, you are. 
@Sunny761 -You are on very thin ice but the Dartmouth admission officials will be willing to listen to your reasons for the two poor grades and then respond accordingly. You should contact Dartmouth IMMEDIATELY and explain that you were sidetracked by your mother’s illness and family deaths. It will look much better if YOU make the first move and don’t wait for Dartmouth to contact you. So act right away. Good luck!
@Sally_Rubenstone
After speaking with an adcom today, I was told to send a letter of explanation to the director of admissions who reads final transcripts and sends out rescind letters. I am now aware that I will likely be finishing with an F and 2 Cs. This is highly uncharacteristic of me of course and is a big change from my midyear grades where I only had one B. Do I have any chance at avoiding being rescinded? I am absolutely terrified now but I am drafting the letter now explaining my mother’s illness, family deaths, and that I was not allowed to make up the two tests in physics resulting in the low grade.
@Sunny761-There are factors such as your background (e.g., are you disadvantaged and/or first generation to college?) and the specifics of your mother’s illness and the family deaths which might save your hide. So you need to provide details about all of this in your letter.
You should also explain why you weren’t allowed to make up the two physics tests … unless the explanation works against you (e.g., you missed the deadline by which you had to sign up for a re-test, etc.).
In your letter, you should also offer suggestions on what you can do to try to compensate for the poor grades. For example, you could offer to re-take a couple of these classes over the summer and you could also offer to start your freshman year on academic probation and check in regularly with an advisor or dean to make sure you’re staying on track.
If Dartmouth does revoke your acceptance, it’s possible that they will make you a “counter-offer.” For instance, they might tell you to take a gap year and do something worthwhile and also take a couple community college classes during your year off. Then they will admit you in the fall of 2017 if you do well in your community college courses.
I’m not saying that Dartmouth will definitely make a counter-offer if they plan to revoke your acceptance, only that they might.
Let me know how it works out for you, and good luck.
@Sally_Rubenstone
I am a QuestBridge applicant, low-income, and first-generation. I am Indian and my mother was sidelined with knee problems that kept me working 45+ hours a week to pay for rent and other bills while she couldn’t work for over a month. I missed the tests because of college visits and I couldn’t make them up because he doesn’t allow any makeups. Even after pressure from administration I wasn’t granted makeup exams for no reason other than the teacher’s stubbornness especially as he is retiring this year and continues his onslaught of racist remarks in class. I will make those propositions certainly but do you think that the F coupled with two Cs would be an automatic rescind?
@Sunny761 -You seem to have valid reasons for having had a stressful year, so spell them out for the Dartmouth folks much as you’ve outlined them here. Go into some detail about your job and all the hours you worked. Point out that you’ve never caved into stress before but that the enormous number of work hours turned out to be more than you could handle. Explain that when you’re in college next year, you are certain that you can put your emphasis back on your studies again. I think you have a pretty decent chance of not getting your acceptance rescinded. Let us know what happens!