I just sent my mid-year reports to the colleges I got into and the ones that I still haven’t heard from yet. I’m really nervous because my senior year grades are not as good as the grades that were on my transcript when I applied. Should I contact schools and point this out or should I just wait and see if they rescind my offer based on my grades?
Colleges say that they expect your senior grades to be as good as the earlier ones you applied with. But, in reality, they will usually give you some wiggle room for a downturn. They realize that seniors have a lot on their plates with applications et al, and that senior classes are often the most challenging. In addition, unless mid-year downturns are so egregious that they raise red flags (e.g., all A’s plummet to only C’s and D’s), the college folks are only going to concern themselves with your FINAL grades. So if a course is still in progress but you’re struggling, you have a few more months to right the ship.
If your GPA has slipped a decimal point, I wouldn’t worry. But if the drop is more than that and it won’t improve by June, then you’d be wise to contact admission officials NOW to explain why you aren’t doing as well as you had been (tougher classes? family problems?). If you’re doing poorly in one particular class, you should tell the colleges that you’re receiving tutoring or extra help from the teacher (but get it FIRST so that you can report this honestly.) You DO want to send a message to colleges that you care, and you DON’T want the college folks to suspect you’re suffering from senioritis. Many seniors think that, by pointing out a downturn, they’ll just call attention to it. But, trust me, the college folks WILL notice, and it’s better that you explain it first, yourself, rather than end up with a rescinded acceptance in July and no place to go in September.