Does anyone know if colleges check into the progress of students a final time before admissions decisions are made? My kid had great 1st semester grades when Mid-Year Reports were submitted, but has struggled in the 2nd semester (1/2 the classes are almost down a full letter grade). I’m worried that some top colleges might do a final check in the last couple weeks before decisions.
Reason I’m concerned:
My kid’s spring sport is exhausting, physically and mentally (I think due to a spatial learning condition), and we’ve seen grades slip for a bit during past spring semesters. Usually, my now senior makes a big comeback in the final month to keep up the cumulative GPA, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it with admissions decisions almost made. I’m definitely seeing a bigger toll on my kid this year though, as the amount of effort has dropped dramatically. I just don’t think there’s much in the energy tank at the end of the day.
They won’t check after the official mid-year report. Decisions will be made based on that. They will do a final check after acceptances and graduation just to verify that the student graduated and did not get any Ds or Fs.
Is this across all schools? I heard a couple schools (Ivies mostly) were warning kids about grades. I think the kids were ED acceptances though. Thanks.
Yes most colleges will just check the required final senior year transcript and it is not a big deal unless there are Ds it a significant drop in Gpa which will need to be explained.
They won’t check before admissions, but admissions could be rescinded if grades take a dive at year end. No college is going to rescind if it’s just a matter of A’s dropping to B’s – they understand the whole senioritis thing – but a D or F could be a problem – so make sure that your son understands that once admissions decisions are in, he still needs to make sure he completes work in his high school classes.
Thanks for the sanity check. I got anxious when I noticed that he was exhausted at the end of the day while grades were dropping fast. Glad the final year report card is the next and last one needed by colleges.
I will say, while the mid year report probably isnt going to be looked at, your son still needs good final grades. Especially if his college overadmits and starts going through final grades with a fine tooth comb in order to whittle down the number of students entering.
Excellent point. That’s certainly something that I’ll share. I had the concern that they might get that fine tooth comb in earlier, during the last week or so when admissions is arguing over final cuts before decision announcements.
Failure to complete (with C or better) a required course in the hs curriculum, or failure to follow through on the list of expected courses may cause an inquiry by the admitting college. Getting suspended from school for disciplinary reasons can also be a cause for concern. It may not matter in the end.
I had a friend who was absolutely panicked when her straight A, Ivy admitted kid, took a breather and was getting st B’s AND b- her last semester. The school counselor had to assure her that even though it was a " significant drop in GPA" the school would not rescind its offer. They really don’t look at B’s.
We have regular decision LAC acceptances with great aid. I appreciate those because they’re straightforward and more relaxed. It was the potential Ivy/Top 20 school that I was concerned about. Stats are below average so I didn’t want any B-/C+ etc. to figure into decisions. I was surprised how As went down so fast in 2 weeks.
Some top tier schools may ask for 2nd semester interim grades if adcom is on the fence about your kid. They would contact the GC to ask for the interim grades and it is usually a good sign. If your kid’s stats are below average then adcoms would want to see upward swing.
Now, this is my D1’s story…She was deferred at her ED school then WL at 2 top 20 schools. I think because she kept up with her grades (best semester for her), she was able to get off those 2 WLs. I don’t wish any student in trying to get off the WL because it was extremely stressful for us. D1 was going to try to transfer if she didn’t get into one of those schools. In that case, her high school GPA would still have mattered.
If your kid could, I would encourage him/her to keep up the grades. It is not over until your kid is accepted into a school of choice. D1’s process dragged into second week of May. We had to send in her mid semester grades, additional LORs, etc.
That’s a great anecdote and I love hearing about the nuances of the admissions process. So great that your daughter kept it up as I’ve heard waitlists are very difficult to be accepted from.
I think mine will get the grades up by end of semester but I think my kid is so easy-going/nonchalant that there is no dream school driving the efforts. Hence, I don’t think a big comeback will happen quickly. Mine recently said that there’s no reason for them to visit admitted student open houses of schools that we’ve already visited. Just said, they’ll make the final decision based on what’s known. Ok, saves us $$. I guess my kid has their eye on the big picture, but is one of those students that gets an A, B, or C on a test and just says the test was “fine.”