The Dangers of Senioritis

Once you've been accepted at a college you like, it's easy to think you've earned the right to kick back and enjoy the rest of your senior year. Be careful not to slack off too much. The college you're planning to attend asks for your complete high school transcript for a reason--the admissions counselors want to make sure you've continued to perform at a high level.

Nearly all colleges reserve the right to rescind an offer of admission if a student's grades take a sudden nosedive. You shouldn't worry if your straight "A"s in math suddenly get scarred by an "A-", but if an "A" student suddenly gets "C"s, there's room for concern. Some big universities will tell dozens of students that their offers of admission have been rescinded.

You certainly should celebrate if you've succeeded in getting into one of your top-choice colleges, but don't throw away your hard-earned victory by checking out of high school a month too early. The consequences can be severe.

If your grades take a big dive because of extenuating circumstances, be sure to write to the admissions office to explain the situation. A college clearly doesn't want to penalize someone because of serious illness or personal tragedy.