As college acceptance letters start to roll in, students everywhere breathe a collective sigh of relief. Once you're in you can just relax, have fun, and enjoy life... right? Unfortunately, the college acceptance letter isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card for every decision you make. There are still things you could do that could cost you your acceptance. It’s not a thought most students want to dwell on, but it’s important to remember at least a few key things so you can hold tight to the college of your dreams. To help you make careful choices and still enjoy the rest of senior year, here's a list of all the ways you can lose your college acceptance.
1. Letting your grades slip
You've worked hard to get into your dream school. It was the light at the end of the tunnel that motivated you even when you were stressed out and discouraged. Now that you're in, what's there to work towards? Unfortunately, many students see the end of senior year as a time to relax—really relax. The impact of slacking off second semester becomes especially evident when stellar students suddenly run the risk of failing classes. While colleges genuinely don't mind if an A student gets their first B or a B student gets a C, they may start to become wary if all of their grades are suddenly slipping, especially down to the depths of D’s and F’s. Staying on top of your classes and letting colleges know about any extenuating circumstances that might cause your GPA to drop are good ways to avoid having your acceptance revoked.
Related: 5 Secrets to Getting Good Grades in High School
2. Risky or illegal decisions
With increased freedom comes increased responsibility, but many students allow the thought of their coming years of freedom to go to their heads. Unfortunately, no college is going to overlook a potential student’s newly minted criminal record—and we don’t think you need the reminder of the legality of certain substances when you’re underage. It’s just not worth it. Colleges have to worry about their reputations just as much as prospective students do. Similarly, colleges will find out if you suddenly create disciplinary problems in the classroom. Your college isn’t interested in that kind of headache, so save the class-clown antics for outside the learning environment.
3. Academic dishonesty
The commonly referenced “senioritis” causes many seniors to lose motivation and take the easy way out. However, some students want to be able to work less without suffering harm to their GPA. This can lead to cheating, plagiarism, and copied work. While many students view academic dishonesty as a minor offense because it isn't technically “illegal,” both high schools and colleges take it extremely seriously. With the rising occurrence of “cheating rings” in schools, where students buy and sell old work at high prices, schools are more than prepared to deal with this issue. There’s technology out there that can spot cheating and plagiarism in less than a minute. Don't let laziness tempt you into dishonesty, because you will get caught. Students can end up with a blemish on their permanent record that can undermine both college acceptances and securing a job in the future.
Related: This Is What Happens When You Cheat in School
Let that college acceptance drive you to stay on the right track and finish up your senior year of high school with strong academics and the confidence that the college you’ll be attending in the future made the right choice for you—just as you hope that you made the right choice in picking that college.
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