so in 9th grade my first semester grades were
Science* A-
Geography* A
Literature* A-
Geometry* A-
French A
Band A
*accelerated classes
My second semester grades are all As except for Geometry which is still an A-. If I have all As for the rest of my high school years, will I still have good chances at colleges like Stanford? I’m just worried that all my A-'s will have a big impact on my overall GPA, so if I show an upward trend, will I still be a competitive applicant?
edit: I know that top colleges will focus more on 10-12th grades but since I will have a lower GPA overall, will it be harder for me to get in?
Depends how many honors and AP classes you took. If you took all regular classes and you got all As then you probably have a really low chance of getting in because getting all As in easy classes is something anyone can do, so you don’t really stand out. Not only that but it also greatly depends on your extracurricular activities too. If it seems only ordinary then it will be even harder to get in. You have to stand out in some way.
yeah I took 10th grade science, AP Human Geography, Pre-AP Literature, the highest level classes available. In my district there are three levels of math, and I was in Geometry, the middle level. @Canon7130 and I think I have pretty good ECs, i just was worried about my GPA bringing me down.
Well honestly out of the classes you mentioned the only high level class I see is AP Literature, but if you say that you have all As while taking the hardest classes there are then yeah you may have a chance. A- doesn’t matter. An A is an A unless the class is easy. But I must say from the classes you’ve described it doesn’t seem like your school really offers any rigorous classes for you to take. That may have a negative reflection on your resume when applying because there are tons of other students that take the toughest classes there are offered(like a senior I knew took 6 AP classes and got all As and was able to get a 5.0 GPA) and are able to get straight As. So it may be hard for you to compete with those kinds of students.
Stanford doesn’t even look at freshman grades.
@Canon7130 and if OP is taking the most difficult classes available, there will be no negative impact or reflection, as they are unable to take harder classes. Class rigor is relative to the school and their available classes, not the application pool.
Yes that is true, but those with higher grades in more rigorous classes from other schools will be given priority. That’s just something that can’t be helped.
yes, this was just freshman year, so the only AP class available was Human Geography and I took the highest course available in all other classes. There are a lot more APs for me to take later on in high school, and by the time I graduate, I will have taken about 10 AP Exams and 3 college level classes. Hopefully that will improve my application? @Canon7130 @neonerudite
Those grades are not bad at all.
I’ve just finished freshman year! @Canon7130