IB exams JUST ended and ISC Board results are already out! While we eagerly await the CBSE Board results at the end of this month, you begin to wonder, “Were your exams good enough?”
After working like a crazy person in high school, taking the SAT’s / ACT’s and finally receiving your college acceptance letter, it’s enticing to slack off and treat your college admission as a go-ahead to senioritis (basically means decreased motivation to study nearing the end of high school).
BUT… wait a second! It’s not over yet. Colleges can still rescind your application after they’ve accepted you. For those of you who stopped reading your college acceptance letters at “Congratulations” take another look, it says something along these lines “conditional on the successful completion of your final year in high school.”
Here are a few things you should AVOID at all costs to avoid admission rescission:
1) Drop in your grades:
Colleges will not rescind your application in case there is a slight dip in your grades but if they plummet, there is a high possibility. Although you might think “How would the college find out about your grades?” It’s because the college you enroll with receives a Final Report at the end of the year with your high school transcripts.
Here is what happens – any grade lower than a C will make the colleges question. They will NOT cancel outright. They will send an email or request for information on the same. Be open, honest and don’t make excuses. Definitely don’t lie or say you were ill if you weren’t. Not only is this dishonest, I firmly believe it’s a karmic nightmare. In the case of the Math CBSE for example, send them a compilation of the articles illustrating that this grade isn’t an accurate reflection of your academic abilities. It’s ok, you WILL make it through this too.
2) NO to Illegal Activities:
This goes without saying. Anything illegal is not received well by colleges. Even if you feel like “it’s a one time experience” or that “you’d never get caught”. For example, colleges frown upon getting suspended for drug or alcohol abuse.
3) NO breaking School Rules:
School rules must be treated with caution. This includes avoiding cheating, plagiarism or disciplinary actions taken against behavioral issues. That’s not what universities want to hear about.
4) Social Media:
Don’t put up elicit photos of yourself on social media sites or apps that you don’t want colleges to look at.
Besides this, try to keep up the work you’re already doing and try to keep the excitement alive for when you actually go away to college!