<p>I'm not talking about if you've already gotten into the college, I'm talking about if they still haven't made a decision. </p>
<p>I've heard things both ways on this issue.</p>
<p>Anyway I think this is an important question for all seniors applying regular decision to colleges, are senior year first semester grades that important for a college's admissions decision? Do colleges care as much about them as your other grades?</p>
<p>usually the beginning doesnt matter. If you got accepted and you do bad later on, might have some crappy freshmen classes but its all about the transcript. My school, we have 2 terms that show on the transcript for each class. 4 quaters so some ppl slack off and recover it torwards the end. ask your guidance counicler when do grades on the transcript, it should be my term</p>
<p>Most important grades though freshmen to junior year</p>
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<p>Some schools disregard freshman year grades altogether. </p>
<p>I disagree that junior year should be considered the most important. I think that first semester senior grades should be because they reflect the most recent achievements that their applicant is undertaking. A lot can happen between the end of junior year and the beginning - middle of senior year.</p>
<p>disaggree with you because how can a school judge you on senior year grades if students are applying early action nov 15 or nov 1 deadlines?</p>
<p>You’re absolutely correct - I think a college should judge you on the most recent and complete grades. For ED and EAers, that would be junior year grades.</p>
<p>But I thought the OP was talking about RD, in which case I think the midyear transcript should weigh a little more than junior year, or at least be equally important. All they seem to be is just a check up to make sure you’re not slacking. I didn’t take the hardest courses my senior year just to prove to the colleges I’m not decreasing the difficulty of my curriculum; I took them to do well, and I want my efforts to be noted.</p>
<p>Yeah, again, I’m talking about if they still haven’t made a decision. Usually, if youre applying regular decision.</p>
<p>It seems that if colleges do see your 1st semester senior year grades, wouldn’t they care as much about them, if not more, than your junior year grades?</p>
<p>I have heard that first semester senior year grades are VERY important for admissions.</p>
<p>As most of the people here are saying, the first semester of your Sr year is the most important. If you applied early decision or action however they don’t matter. For regular decision however their very important.</p>
<p>Colleges care about your junior year grades, but they will be very concerned if your senior year grades are worse than your junior year grades. So, just keep your senior year grades similar to or better than your junior year grades. :] Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Senior grades are important. Students who are admitted ED are usually strong candidates who already showed good track records. Adcoms will usually defer someone if they want more data point, like fall senior semester grades.</p>
<p>Top tier schools want to see senior first semester grades, and they also care about rigorusness of courses. Sometimes if an applicant is on a boarderline they will even ask for the spring mid semester grades before they make a decision. My daughter was WL at 2 of her top choices. She was able to to get in both by getting best grades her senior year. She was also keeping up her grades just in case if she wanted to transfer later on. </p>
<p>My nephew was not able to take any AP courses before senior at his HS when he transferred sophomore year (he didn´t have required courses). He took a lot of APs senior year, aced all of them to prove to adcoms that he could handle the course load. He was admitted ED to his dream school.</p>