It’s not break time.

Now that it’s second semester, many seniors are ready to drop their more difficult classes in exchange for free periods, which is not a good idea in terms of the college acceptance process.

If anything on a particular transcript looks different for second semester, it would be jeopardizing the offer. And yes, all college acceptance letters are offers, in which students must follow through on their commitments to gain full acceptance. Counselor Denise Chaitkin always advises against dropping classes during second semester senior year. Chaitkin explains that acceptances are based highly on what students are taking senior year.

Chaitkin adds that any senior making a change to their schedule must call any school they have applied to and make the admissions offers aware of the change before the change has been made. More often than not, colleges will respond that dropping classes senior year will negatively impact admissions decisions.

However, not every senior graduating this spring will be going off to college. Every post-secondary path is different and if one doesn’t include college, there is nothing wrong with taking a lighter senior year.

Our school is teaching students that hard work pays off. Even if college isn’t in your cards, taking challenging classes can teach grit and study skills. These qualities transfer over into life, which means not slacking off during the final stretch.

Any senior dropping their classes will not be looked upon to colleges in a positive way. Seniors should only have the opportunity to get out of their classes before they finalize transcripts and send them off to schools.