Hi,
I’m applying to very selective colleges (include ivies, including Princeton EA) and my grades so far are very high (4.0 unweighted in IB Diploma program) but this year are slipping, and keep doing so (I have three high b’s currently, that number could well go up or down). I have worked really hard, it isn’t senioritis, i guess I’m just doing worse… will elite schools hold bad senior year grades against you Ed/Ea? What about regular decision? I know these aren’t bad grades persay, but they are A real decline, and I know these schools are looking for any reason to reject people. It is annoying that I have eight A day B day classes at once, it makes keeping straight As or close to it twice as hard, with all the IB and college application insanity.
No, it won’t look good. Plenty of other applicants will not have lower grades in Senior year. Be sure you have match and safety schools you like. And rethink your EA strategy. Do you want to restrict yourself to applying to only one private school Early Action?
I’m also applying to UNC and UVA, senior year notwithstanding, my stats (36 35 35 36) ACT and 4.0 GPA in IB should hopefully make at least UNC in state A safety, I don’t really know where else to apply early though if I don’t do one of the ivies ED or SECA.
Anyone else have any advice/ideas?
The best advice is to work like a dog and get your grades as high as possible. The odds are slim at best. Don’t have your heart set on any one school, especially not if that school uses holistic admissions.
Are you instate for UNC or UVA? Those schools are not safeties or matches for OOS students. Find affordable safety and match schools that you actually like. You don’t want to be one of the people who posts next April saying you only got into your safety, or worse, nowhere.
I am instate at UNC, for the record those aren’t the only schools on my list, I was just planning on only applying to UNC, UVA and Princeton early action (and some others like Emory and Vanderbilt somewhat early for merit scholarship opportunities). I really don’t know what other strategy to use at this point (I don’t want to commit somewhere binding ED if I can avoid it).
Declining grades in senior year WO LD be expected to damage your chance of admission to elite schools. Fortunately, there are many really good schools.
After you have chosen those schools you may want to attend, check the profiles is students at each and collars your profile to admits at each. This should provide a reasonable estimate of your likelihood of admissions at each. You do not want to apply to a school when you compare most favorably to the admits in the bottom tier .Alternatively, consider applying to a really good schoo! Where your profile is very competitive. Earn great grades and perhaps transfer or find the current school meeting your expectations of a good program in your major.
Second, why have your grades declined this year? You must know your academic strengths on which you can re!y. What is contributing to your decline in grades? Is it learning content by…, or not learning and app!ying formulas, themes, writing essays, or learning events, dates and participants. Perhaps you are not reading the book carefully or sufficiently to master content. What is difficult for you and why. Deliberately work on weak areas. Your goal is earning better grades for your GPA and later !earning.
Good luck on getting yourself to a better place academically.
I’m confused about how the colleges would check your grades? I know that high schools send mid-year reports, but isn’t that after the colleges review applications for early action or decision?
If you’re struggling in senior year, how do you expect tippy top colleges to believe you won’t struggle in freshman year of college? They aren’t looking for kids who hit the wall in 12th grade. That simple.
They’ve got tens of thousands of others to choose from. They need kids who don’t lose steam when the challenges rise.
OP, before applying, whether early or RD, you should know more about your targets, their expectations. Be informed and savvy.
And it’s not enough to “check the profiles” of matriculated students. 43% of current Princeton freshman had a hs gpa of 3.75 or higher, but the college rejected over 90% of applicants with a 4.0. And rejected an even higher percent of lower gpa.
For schools that want mid year report, it will affect your admission chance significantly. If you are admitted before that, having a few B is not likely get your admission revoked but it depends on the school.
When my S applied ED, the school contacted his guidance counselor for his in-progress grades (before the end of the semester). They wanted to see how he was doing, which fortunately was well, and he was admitted ED. If he had not applied ED, they probably would have waited for the mid year report. So yes, a dip in grades may hurt you.
I maybe should start a new thread, but this is important to me, and it’s developing over time. I now have 3 classes with 89-90 (right on the line…) but nothing lower, and a lot of the people in my grade are struggling too, the IB program at my school apparently just gets WAY tougher senior year. Assuming I have 2 or 3 Bs mid way through the year (out of 8 ap and IB classes) do you think that will seriously affect my chances? other than this senior year debacle, stat wise I am qualified for these schools (but I know most statistically qualified applicants don’t get in)
I think we all answered this above. A decline hurts. A decline when rigor goes up is no free pass. Top schools look at the transcript. They want to see increasing (and appropriate) rigor (in cores and courses related to the major) and continued success. For Early apps, they get a progress report of some sort.
And, when most kids say they’re qualified, they’re thinking stats, rigor, and that their ECs are special. Most kids don’t have an adequate view of how their ECs compare to other applicants. And they miss what else matters.
Just FYI - IB in pretty much ALL cases gets WAY tougher in senior year - that is why it is considered “most rigorous.”
Well, I was able to keep it to one 89, and the rest 92 and up (my school doesn’t use pluses and minuses, I don’t know how colleges process them though) for first quarter grades. Guess now all I can do is wait and see… thank you to everyone for the advice/insight, I greatly appreciate it.