Around this time of the year, many seniors are finishing up their college applications or have already received acceptance letters from Early Decision or Early Action schools. Often, seniors get into their dream college early in the process leaving them in a complacent state of mind. Since they have already been accepted, they feel that there is no longer a need to try as hard in school, and the temptation to take absences in classes increases, leading to the feeling of “senioritis.” Senioritis is a phase when seniors have a lack of motivation to work hard in their classes when they are nearing the end of their high school experience. While it is important to take time to celebrate college acceptances and enjoy the senior year experience, it is also important to stay diligent and avoid potentially getting your college admission revoked. Without further ado, here are the top ways your college applications could be rescinded.
1. Poor Academic Performance
This is by far the most common reason colleges rescind offers. Ivy League and Top 20 schools generally want to see their applicants maintain their A-grade averages until the end of the year. However, a couple of B’s due to “senioritis” shouldn’t be a big deal. Nevertheless, getting multiple D’s and F’s and potentially failing to graduate will definitely become a problem. A general rule of thumb is that you should aim to perform similar, if not a little worse, than how you were doing before your application cycle.
2. Disciplinary Action
Another way colleges could rescind your application is if you’ve racked up significant disciplinary actions during the year. While a few detentions due to tardiness are not enough to revoke a decision, it is best to stay out of trouble. Serious offenses such as suspensions, expulsions, or academic dishonesty (such as cheating, or plagiarism) can say a lot about one’s character and integrity and are often taken seriously by college admissions officers. Lying about your disciplinary history or trying to cover up past offenses can also have serious consequences.
3. Dishonesty in Applications
If a college discovers that an applicant lied on their application, they have the right to cancel their admission, even if they have been accepted already. Being honest is a very important part of the admissions process, and colleges can verify important metrics, such as GPA, standardized test scores, and extracurriculars with the student’s guidance counselor and school. In certain scenarios, if a college rescinds an applicant’s admission, they can even report the incident to other colleges, jeopardizing the student’s reputation and chances of getting into another school. Furthermore, another way colleges could rescind your application is if you break the Early Decision contract by applying through the Early Decision program to multiple schools or deciding to not go to your ED school after being accepted. In this scenario, the university to which you applied Early Decision may notify your counselor and the other Regular Decision schools you applied to that you breached their ED contract, which can compromise your application.
4. Social Media Behavior
While colleges won’t spend their spare time surfing for their applicant’s social media presence, obscene, controversial, or racist comments/activity that goes viral can catch the attention of admissions officers. Schools may rescind applicants who engage in these behaviors because it doesn’t align with the university’s standards, principles, or characteristics. For example, according to NPR, in 2017, Harvard University rescinded at least 10 applications due to their racist and sexually offensive messages sent in a Facebook group chat. The group chat, which at one point had up to 100 members, included offensive memes, anti-Semitic statements, and comments that mocked the death of children. Therefore, when spending time on social media, it is important not to say anything that would taint your reputation. Additionally, it is also important to understand that nothing you say on social media is truly private.
What should you do if you are facing any of these problems?
If you are struggling with any of the above problems or feel that your application may be rescinded in the future, remember that many schools will be eager to talk to you about these concerns. In some cases, the university will send out a warning letter and give you a chance to respond and explain your side of the story. If you feel that your grades are becoming an issue, talk with your guidance counselor, contact the universities that have accepted you, and ask which grades you need to raise. If you’ve been disciplined or engaged in academic dishonesty after acceptance, talk to the colleges about what you can do moving forward. Being honest and straightforward is always better than ignoring or trying to conceal the problem and makes it more likely that the university will be willing to work with you. Overall, colleges value students who are transparent about their problems, and an honest effort to fix them is always appreciated.
While the above concerns shouldn’t encourage you to burn yourself out in your academics and never have fun, it is important to be mindful of your actions. “Senioritis” is perfectly okay, as long as it doesn’t significantly impact your grades or necessary requirements for graduation. However, if you do find yourself in a situation where your application may be revoked, it is important to be honest and cooperative.
