High school seniors should be warned of the rising concern colleges have for acceptable academic performance. Certain schools are getting strict for the first time.
San Francisco State University rescinded 63 acceptances, and Cal Poly was not far behind, revoking 43 incoming freshmen.
Schools have more accessibility to grades and class standings than ever before with the help of advanced computer technology, said CSU enrollment director Jim Blackburn. Final transcripts are also being sent sooner.
“All of the offers of admission that we make are conditional,” Blackburn said.
He said the rules have always been the same, and there is no hard evidence that CSUs are rejecting more freshmen than normally.
As for falling grades he said, “The more recent the work in high school, the better predictor there is (for college work).”
Blackburn said out of 47,000 enrolled students this year, half of those needed remedial classes.
He has been working on reducing remedial classes for the past 10 years. Imposing higher standards for students might motivate them to do better.
“If we don’t use (the brain), it kind of becomes flabby,” Blackburn said.
Civil engineering freshman John MacMillan begged to differ, saying he did not worry about his grades after being accepted to Cal Poly. After checking with the school, he allegedly had to get C’s or better.
Other students decided to not buy into the idea that colleges would act on slipping spring semester GPAs.
“I didn’t care at all,” civil engineering freshman Mike Hopkins said.
Even though these freshmen seem unaffected, the threat is often still there.
“If it gets seniors to do a better job, then that’s a good thing,” Blackburn said.