<p>Do colleges include the first semester of senior year in deciding admissions? Do they take the GPA/rank that includes the first semester of senior year or the one that doesn't, in general?</p>
<p>In short, yes, they do matter.</p>
<p>And they take the rank/GPA from senior year? Cuz applications are due before the first semester ends, right... so do they just glance at the midterm report to check if anything's significantly different, or do they replace things.</p>
<p>They make sure you don't fail senior year. Colleges expect you to maintain your level until graduation. That's why they want your mid-year. They want to see your latest grades, no exception. </p>
<p>And, if you get accepted, I believe they also want your Final grades.</p>
<p>Colleges will rescind your acceptance if you suddenly bomb senior year for no reason.</p>
<p>Yeah. I know that. But they make the <em>initial</em> decision based on the first three years only, yes?</p>
<p>BUMP please
Does the senior year first semester count when they're making the decision to admit you, or only for them to decide whether to rescind you after they've already decided?</p>
<p>They count, but again only to make sure your consistent and didn't decide senior year doesn't matter at all and stop doing anything. If you were a straight A student and now have a B or 2 because you're in harder classes, then that's still pretty consistent and it wouldn't hurt you. If you were an A/B student and now suddenly failed classes, thats when it hurts you. Same with class rank, as long as you're in about the same percent of your class then you should be fine.</p>
<p>Er... if I take an extra one or two unweighted classes that could drop me a few percent in rank. But not in GPA. So if they just use it to verify that you haven't been getting bad grades, but don't use it in the <em>initial</em> decision, then I would go ahead with those class selections.</p>
<p>Usually universities may decide your admission base off your first three years of high school. It varies depending on the time you apply, say late senior year... then they may request to see senior grades before making a decision. Though accepted early senior year or not, your senior year grades may be looked over... and if they see a negative trend, your admission can be reconsidered.</p>
<p>no they dont and dont let anyone else tell you otherwise. i thought they mattered, worked my arse off, and got in ED to an Ivy league school. wasted my time, since i could have gotten straight B's and nothing would have changed. looking back if i could change one thing it would be working hard senior year. enjoy it.</p>
<p>I'm curious, leek13: How do you know nothing would have changed if you'd gotten straight Bs?</p>
<p>^^would still be going to my college.</p>
<p>I'd say you should consider first term senior year to be as important as any of your other years. Unless, that is, if you applied and got accepted ED or an EA school that is your first choice. However, if you're like the majority of college applicants, which apply as regular decision candidates, you should try to do as best as you can first term senior year. Some of the schools I applied to recently sent me emails saying either they're still processing the application materials and/or they just started reviewing my app. And yes, they see my mid-year report grades, which means they will probably consider it with all my past grades in equal standing when they're looking at my application. So as JamesJr said in the first reply, in short, yes, they do matter.</p>
<p>leek13 is incorrect. Yes, in his case, the college did not look at his senior year grades before deciding to admit him BUT THAT'S BECAUSE HE WAS AN ED APPLICANT and the decision was made before his first-semester grades were available. If you are an RD applicant, all of your colleges will require a mid-year report and so they will be looking at your first semester grades before making their decision in Feb.or March.</p>
<p>....</p>
<p>Obviously. Enjoy your rejection(s).</p>
<p>OP, when you say "unweighted classes," are you talking about less rigorous curriculum than you've previously maintained? Please check with your counselor about senior year course selection. Depending on your overall record and the colleges to which you are applying, failing to maintain both the same level of performance (grades) and rigor in senior year could be harmful to apps to selective colleges.</p>