Exploring potential college options during the Spring is an experience that a lot of high school students are going to encounter. Over the years, Chico State’s acceptance rate has fluctuated but has generally decreased throughout the years.

Increased acceptance rates allowed for more students who weren’t necessarily excelling academically throughout high school to attend. This can be problematic because it means that there are students who might get to attend college without having met the standards that should be required at the university level.

According to collegesimply.com, a website that ranks universities, Chico State’s test score requirements are easy to meet and high school grades are moderate. The website states that Chico State typically accepts a B average student.

Being looked at as one of the easier schools to get into can create both pros and cons for the attending students.

The average expectations of students allow for a lesser focus on school work and more time spent on leisure.

The No. 1 party school reputation, acquired in 1987 by Playboy Magazine, still lingers despite the title now being 30 years old and having no validity. However, the high acceptance rate may be attributed to the reputation sticking around. People most likely would not want to go to a school that prioritizes parties over grades, which is a negative perception that a lot of students, parents and employers have about the college.

There are also plus sides to having a higher acceptance rate. Not all B average students spend their free time partying in high school. High school is an interesting time for everyone. While going through adolescence, students are ultimately determining their future with their actions.

If students don’t have it figured out by high school that their GPA matters for their future, then it can just become a downward spiral. However, Chico State’s average GPA requirement provides 3.21 grants opportunities to the kids still figuring it all out during high school.

Senior Sarah Wood, Campus Experience Guide at Chico State’s Admissions believes our acceptance rate is reasonable because Chico State is an impacted campus.

“We’re really competitive, and we receive lots of applications so we can’t accept everyone,” Wood said.

Chico State is more selective than other northern California State Universities with the lowest acceptance rate at 63.4 percent in 2015 compared to Humboldt State, Cal State East Bay and Sacramento State.

Chico State shouldn’t be an easy school to get into, and the statistics of how many students are allowed in prove that it isn’t. Although there’s a negative perception of a party school looming over the university, getting in and attending Chico State shouldn’t be seen as easy.

Sophia Robledo-Borowy can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.