<p>I did a little worse than I normal this semester. For the first three years of high school combined, I had roughly 3.95 UW. My only B's up to that point were Graphic Design freshman year (which probably doesn't matter anyway) and AP Gov sophomore year (but got a 5 on the exam). However, I took the most rigorous curriculum I could for senior year, which included AP Calc BC and AP Physics C (without prior calculus knowledge). Though I got an A in those 2 classes, I ended up with a 3.61 UW for this semester, taking 4 total APs and 2 Honors. The schedule I took is considered suicide at my school, due to the difficulty of how my school teaches those classes. Will this hurt me a GREAT deal? I've heard some people say senior year grades count for a whole lot, while I've heard others say that it only matters if your grades fall drastically.</p>
<p>You should have saved senioritis for the end-year report. This drop is not good, but it will certainly not be the reason for your rejection.</p>
<p>What if my weighted GPA went up a tad bit and still have about a 3.89-90 overall? Am I still okay?</p>
<p>Your overall GPA is definitely alright. Weighted GPA doesn’t matter as much; you’re expected to take a rigorous course load anyway. So, like I said, your GPA will not be the reason for a rejection.</p>
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<p>I’m not so sure.</p>
<p>I assume you have a GREAT back-up … the applicant pool given HS grade inflation is VERY COMpeTITIVE so GPA drops are an easy quantitative way to cull the pack…</p>
<p>net is u will do GREAT wherever you land so buck up and focus on the prize not the path…</p>
<p>^^If that’s the overall UW GPA, then he’s (she?) definitely alright. Also, dropping to 3.6 mid-year can’t possibly be detrimental.</p>
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<p>Fall senior grades do count. If you think about it, you are taking your hardest schedule and most meaningful classes now. If Harvard wants to know how you will handle Harvard classes, they won’t look at “English I” and such freshman year.</p>
<p>^ Good, lol, because English freshman year is my only B, which put me out of the Valedictorian race from the very. very beginning. lol :(</p>
<p>But yeah, I was thinking the same thing in that the courses in Senior year are usually the culmination of the last four years, especially in IB, where you have your extended essay, TOK essay/presentation, IOC, History IA… Plus, with the added pressures of applying to colleges, good grades show that you can handle the pressure. And it shows your personality is immune to the lazy disease of senioritis. </p>
<p>So I guess a slight dip won’t hurt (as in totally keeping you from getting an acceptance), but keeping all A’s, or an improvement shows that you can handle the pressure, and may help a lot. Just an Idea. </p>
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maybe that’s spring grades after you get the acceptance? But not fall grades. You can’t just not count 1/4 of your whole time in high school. 25% (senior year) or at least 12.5 % (fall senior year) can’t just not count of your high school career. But in terms of the grades that you have right at this moment (all seven semesters), senior fall grades should count more than 14.3 % (1/7), since freshman year wouldn’t hold as much weight. At least this is what I think in terms of the amount of time percentages you’re in high school…I don’t know…it seems logical. If I were an Admissions Officer, I would count AP Calculus BC senior year more than Algebra I Honors Freshman year…</p>
<p>I’ve heard downward trends look bad. Also, I’m not quite sure a close to 4.0 GPA drop to 3.61 is considered “slight”…</p>
<p>Since we’re on the topic…does anyone know if fall senior grades can help an applicant, or do they just expect you to do well?</p>
<p>If my only B’s are Graphic Design Freshman year (which probably doesn’t mean anything), AP Gov sophomore year (hard teacher, but got a 5 on the exam), a mandatory composition class I took over the summer, and the first semesters of AP Bio and AP Stats, am I okay? I got straight A’s junior year, if that matters. My college counselor explicitly told me that he checked the most rigorous schedule available box on his recommendation.</p>
<p>People have been accepted without it, end of story.</p>
<p>without a midyear report? like who? And I come from one of the better private schools in my region, if that matters. To get an idea of this, about 25-30% of my grade got some type of NMS recognition for the psat.</p>
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I think homer means with or without senioritis.</p>