"Freedom Is Recognition of Contingency"

If my GPA drops due to my mental or physical illness at the last semester of grade 12, would my college cancel my application?

I was asked to answer this question on the website Quora.com

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First of all, selective colleges and universities all have some version of the following statement included as a part of their acceptance letter:

While we have every reason to believe you will complete this school year successfully, remember that your admission is contingent upon your continued strong academic performance in the program you presented to us in your application.

(This sentence is taken from an actual acceptance letter from one of the most selective schools in the US.) Given the fact that schools notify students that acceptance is contingent you will need to be proactive should your grades drop significantly due to mental or physical illness.

For example, if your grades drop because of mental illness you will need a letter from your therapist or physician which will corroborate the letter you yourself have written about your illness. Both of these letters need to describe in some detail what your illness is and how you have been and are currently being treated and finally what the prognosis is.

Let's say you have been hospitalized for depression. Not only must you include this information you must also get a doctor to say that your condition has improved and that they would think that you are ready to do well when you head off to university. You need to think about the situation from the perspective of the school. If they think you are a potential threat to yourself or to anyone else, then they will rescind your admission.

It is not in the best interest of the student if he or she is not ready to handle the pressures of school. It is not in the best interest of the school either. If the student is an any way a potential threat to others, then the schools will certainly rescind admission. But many schools may want to have a conversation with the physician and the student who has suffered from mental illness before making a final decision.

It is important to know this is not just a mental health issue but a legal issue. If a student was permitted to enroll who had mental symptoms of lashing out at others, then if the student enrolled and did something to harm others the school itself would likely be sued and would liely lose the case. Schools are risk averse as a result, and, given the violence that happens in schools almost weekly, they should be.

Physical illness is a different issue, but it still may be the school would recommend a student make sure he or she is capable of keeping up with the work. In other words, if a student is still suffering the same symptoms that led to the academic decline then schools would, I think in most cases, suggest taking time off until the symptoms have lessened or abated altogether.

There are a few exceptions to what I have just said but these often have to do with students who are suffering from a terminal illness. In this case, parents and the student make the case that their dream has been to attend the school. The school may permit the student to enroll knowing that it is unlikely that the student will earn a degree. On the other hand, I have seen schools balk at bringing in students who would need huge amounts of care just to stay alive and this is not a burden (economic and psychological) the school will want to take on.

No matter what, it is best to get out front of the issue. Do not wait until the low grades show up on the final high school transcript. You should contact the school as soon as you know the grades will drop precipitously so that you may still have other options if the school that accepted you decides to rescind admission. Waiting until June when the grades come out will mean that the alternatives are community college or a gap year.

Best of luck. I hope things work out physically, mentally, and academically for you.