<p>if someone got 2b's first semester and 1B second semester of freshman year, does this mean they lots their chance for getting in columbia? is a 3.8 good enough?
THANKS ALOT IN ADVANCE</p>
<p>I’m not sure what Yale’s stance on freshman years grades is. I know, for instance, that Princeton disregards freshman year; they see it as a “transitional period.” </p>
<p>Better luck on the Columbia forum?</p>
<p>Course rigor is more important than GPA. After all, a student could take the easiest classes at their high school, get an A+ in each class, and have the highest GPA at their high school, but they will not be given the nod from Yale or any other selective college. That said, here’s what Yale says:
<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/what-yale-looks-forAcademic[/url]”>http://admissions.yale.edu/what-yale-looks-forAcademic</a> Ability</p>
<p>“Yale is above all an academic institution. This means academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time. We look for students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses in high school and done well. Your high school teachers can provide extremely helpful information in their evaluations. Not only do they discuss your performance in their particular class or classes, but often they write about such things as your intellectual curiosity, energy, relationships with classmates, and impact on the classroom environment. Obviously it is important to ask for recommendations from teachers who know you well.”</p>
<p>None of the Cum Laude’s from my D’s school got into Yale. There are three others who weren’t in the top 20% of the class that will be attending Yale this Fall. GPA don’t seem to matter, it is about a “Holistic” approach to admissions.</p>
<p>
While I agree with your second point, I do believe GPA is also a factor. It is important to have a good GPA but it is not the only facet that Yale looks at in an applicant. Not sure why the OP is asking on the Yale board about Columbia though. :o</p>
<p>^They also posted on the C board and just forgot to edit their post for Y. Hope they don’t do that on their essay ;).</p>