So my Freshman year was a bust and I got a 3.5 first semester and a 3.3 second semester. However, I know that I will do much better next year due to the change of teachers, (my teachers this year have all been name grading) and genereal preparedness over the summer. Will my Freshman year GPA lose me my chances of getting accepted to Carnegie Mellon?
One of their Admissions Officers did tell us/me that they don’t factor in Freshman grades - I don’t recall if it was at the general presentation or in smaller group discussions, but I do remember hearing it because I was surprised by it.
It may be a good idea to think about your study habits and school approach rather than just ascribing grades to bad teachers. That’s rarely the case across the board.
if anyone knows, please let me know as well
Do you remember when the admissions officer told you this? I’ve been doing some research and it seems as though the admissions officers made it clear they don’t factor in freshman year a few years back but I haven’t heard recently anything refuting or confirming this.
Admissions at CM is holistic. However, in the process of verifying you have the required four years of math and English - and in reviewing the entire transcript to assess the rigor of your classes - they are going to see your poor freshman year grades. The college may recalculate your GPA, but no one is going to be hiding those freshman records from the AOs, who won’t exactly be able to “unsee” those grades.
Take your chances in applying for admission, but apply to a couple of less selective backup schools you would also be happy to attend.
Don’t remember whether is was when my oldest was looking - 3 years ago - or at one of the sessions earlier this year with my youngest,
They recently softened their “we don’t take any scores before Junior year” language, so perhaps they are expanding their scope of data they look at.
Having said that, it was never in writing that I found, and I only heard it once, so it’s not really a widely discussed topic. I’ll see if ai can ask next time I’m around Admissions.