Hello all!
So, next year I`ll be a senior. Right now I fall in the top 40% of my class (school doesn’t rank but this is based of GPA), I am close to breaking the top 10% though (3.5-4.0 is 25% of our class, and by the end of next year, my weighted GPA will be a 4.5 (if I bust serious butt) which pushes me to the top 10%, or highest bracket of GPAs my school ranks in our class profiles). This is a pretty big distinction (seriously!!!).
I know colleges will see my transcript when I apply in the middle of the year and I have an upward trending GPA so it looks “good” but my question is HOW good? Will they even count it if it`s not till senior.
Thanks for any advice!
Senior year grades are the most important as they show who the student is right now. Yes, it matter, and yes, it will look really good, assuming the classes are harder or equally hard as they were in previous years.
This is often untrue for several reasons.
- Some schools explicitly don't consider them. The UCs consider grades from 10-11. Penn State's admissions office apparently says they basically ignore senior grades.
- Due to when deadlines fall, you often apply before you have any senior semester grades at all.
@liveforbooks you have to be realistic. First of all college applications will not include your end of senior year grades…they will see the first semester (or first 2 depending on how your HS does it). Only the college that you commit to will get a final transcript. My second thought…is that it really is hard to raise a GPA that much…what will be different this year? An upward trend certainly will be looked at favorably and Colleges will consider the grades that they see…but not the grades that you haven’t earned yet. They will not assume that you will end up in the top 10% of your grade.
@bodangles Thank you for clarifying that! I understand that some schools have exceptions (such as Penn State)and do not evaluate senior year, but if I apply to a college on the Jan 1st deadline and they do take mid year reports, will my class rank matter or is it “too late”? (I`m going to do well next year no matter what, though.)
@ConcernedRabbit Thank you for your input
@MAsecondtimer I know it isnt going to be easy. A family issue thats been really painful and time consuming is resolved but the main difference is that I will no longer have to take two mandatory subjects that Ive been scoring low in that are taught by teachers Ive had for 2 years (they are by far the hardest teacher at my school and they also had (honestly) a really bad relationship with me that even other students and teachers picked up on. Essentially, they made my year(s) hell and Im going to be MUCH better off starting over with teachers that wont comment on everything I do in class or, to be frank, grade me as harshly as the other teachers did.) Taking away those two B- grades and replacing them with As is what will push my GPA that high.
Either way, I`m honestly I just need to up one class by a letter grade to get that GPA.
My transcript includes a current GPA per year, so colleges will see my grades are current GPA for halfway through the year/ my counselor says that I can get my GPA recalculated then to report to colleges. Also, next year my GPA will contain more weight (more APs) so that will also push me up into the next highest GPA group (above a 4.0)
Appreciate the honesty though, you are right that it probably wont matter as much as what Ive already done in high school.
Yes, in general, senior grades matter a lot. And yes, you are correct that an upward trend in your grades also matters, as long as the courses you take senior year are, as @ConcernedRabbit mentions above, the most rigorous ones available to you and your peers.
@worriestoomuch thank you so much for your advice (and your username is really relatable, haha)
@liveforbooks - you are most welcome. Given your graciousness and evident love of reading, I am guessing that your letters of recommendation will be highly complimentary, given your exceptional manners and literary acumen!
@worriestoomuch you’re very kind, it’s nice to hear some kind words. I appreciate that! I hope you’re taking it easy!