When do colleges rescind acceptances?

I applied with semi-low grades, with a 3.9-4 weighted GPA, and my 2nd semester has kinda fallen down into a hole. I think I’m going to be getting 3Bs and a C, when previously I had an equal split of A’s and B’s. Would this be enough to rescind an acceptance? Would it be alright if I had an extenuating family circumstance? I am also aiming for pretty selective schools, low Ivies to NYU level of selectivity. Thanks in advance.

What the heck is a “low ivy”???

@Dustyfeathers Penn, Cornell.

LOL. About the low Ivy. Are you kidding? If you don’t have some amazing scores to compensate, I just can’t see rescinding being an issue cause I can’t see acceptances happening unless you have what people here call a hook. Have you even been accepted yet?

@lostaccount I applied to a bunch of schools. No, no acceptances. I suppose the hooks would be my extenuating family circumstances which have been pretty prominent throughout high school. The rest of my application is no slouch, it’s just the GPA. I have a 2260 SAT, good EC’s, fantastic essay, great recs, etc.

Edit: I know I’m a borderline applicant for a lot of schools. I know the strategy I’m taking.

bump

You probably won’t be rescinded if you have valid family problems that your guidance counselor can explain for you. Your biggest hurdle here is going to be getting accepted in the first place, so don’t worry about being rescinded yet. If you do get accepted, some colleges will tell you the minimum GPA you need to maintain.

And by the way, a “hook” is not extenuating family circumstances. Hooks are things colleges actively recruit for, such as athletes, first generation college students, under represented minorities, and legacies.

@sophie9999 Ok I suppose that’s what I expected. Do you think there’s a cutoff in terms of GPA?

There’s no GPA cutoffs that are reported, hence holistic admissions. You can compare yourself to last years class by looking up the common data set. For example, the freshman class at UPenn had 89% with an unweighted 3.75 GPA or higher.

http://www.upenn.edu/ir/Common%20Data%20Set/UPenn%20Common%20Data%20Set%202013-14.pdf

@sophie9999 I meant in terms of last semester GPA. Would I still be alright?

@twinshk2 if I may say in the most gentle way possible, your approach seems a little misaligned with good education goals in that you seem to care more about some name/ gpa thing than what the schools you 'like" are actually teaching, not to mention the quality of the teaching in your areas of interest. Cornell has many creative and amazing programs that no other Ivy offers, for example. Maybe one of them is the best for you? Have you looked beyond the required gpa of your schools? The USN&WR rankings (such as they are with all of the gaming of the rankings by institutions)? Despite this apparent USN&WR rankings and GPA worship, I hope you find happiness in the clubs you seek admission to. I’d be surprised if you like what you find inside, however, without looking deeper first. Best of luck finding not only information on your journey, but maybe some wisdom.