Many colleges and universities are rescinding students 2-3 weeks before they start. It seems that it is becoming more of a problem as students are sharing their stories.

One particular student was to study at NYU Florence this fall semester, but she was rescinded a few weeks before she left for Italy. She had prepared almost everything—she had applied for an Italian visa, applied for loans, booked tickets, paid for half her tuition bill for the semester, and bought things to bring to Florence—until the letter that revoked her admission came. The cause was legitimate: it was due to not being to meet to expected scores of her IB exams during her last semester of high school. She accepted this and realized her mistake and took her grades as her responsibility in her appeal back to NYU. They still rejected it. She understood; it was her who brought this unto herself. However, she couldn’t understand why the college had decided to send the rescindment letter a few weeks before she left for Italy. She had sacrificed a lot of money and thought that the college sending this tardy letter gave her hope for nothing. If they had sent this earlier, she believes that she would’ve not put so much effort. Her dreams of going to her wanted university were now unattainable. This late action had brought devastation to her and her family as application deadlines to many other colleges have passed. Indeed she could try other options, but what now? The community around her knew she was going to NYU and now she is ashamed to face them.

By signing this petition, you will help colleges like NYU realize that they should not revocate offers of admissions at a late period of time, especially when there are only a few weeks before the first day of classes. They do not realize that they are restricting potential people's dreams of going to college and being successful—let alone, have a life. If colleges rescinded admissions around early to mid-July, there would be more options for students to find (exam scores are also sent out to the universities by then). Let’s be real—last-minute news is never good news. Such action can be harmful to the student (and even their families) mentally and emotionally as it brings more false hope and more heartbreak. Students may be prepared to go to college, but their hard efforts to get ready may go to waste as shown in the above narration. And although the student above was not the best student, there are many other students getting rescinded late and are feeling the same no matter what reason it may be. Even if colleges want to give time to the student to make the student “recognize” their wrongdoings before they rescind, it is cruel for students, who have thought of pursuing their dreams by going to college, to experience such things.

Let us show universities and colleges that they should change their ways of sending out rescindment letters from a late fashion to an earlier fashion.