[riskable]

This presumes college is the goal or that graduating college is actually important. Also, what does getting into a "good college" actually provide (in terms of education--forget social networking for a moment) above and beyond a "mediocre college"?

Everyone would have us believe that "an education is what you make of it" yet the foundation of our society is apparently the opposite: The education is what makes you.

[alistairSH]

I don't disagree, but as long as getting into a good college is deemed important (rightly or wrongly), getting bad grades is risky.