<p>hi. i'm sure some old cc posters recognize me as the 8th grader (GRADUATED!) who's applying for admission in the 10th grade to some very nice schools ;)</p>
<p>I'm very sure most people want this answered in detail as well, even though we all have the general idea that grades do matter.</p>
<p>but just how much? and to what extent would a good grade be? to keep an accurate record without revealing too much or slightly wasting my time on calculations, my average grade every year since the start of middle school has been around 93, 94, and I'm pretty sure this year gives out a 95 or 94. But looking at my transcripts, it's pretty obvious this year I've improved more than the past two. While that might be nice and all, I'm wondering what grades matter on and if the grades I presented above are decent enough to be glanced and approved of.</p>
<p>and also, I know THIS is obvious and that most people know that if you get worse towards the end, it's not good and leaves a very bad lasting impression of you. this last quarter my grades have slipped a bit. most of my grades have stayed the same but one subject has slipped quite a bit from a 95 to quite possibly an 89 or 90. i haven't gotten my report card yet but thanks to the wonderful technology of a certain online progress report that ends with "line" it's either one, most likely the 90.
would admissions understand that like senior year, people tend to get slightly lazy in their grades towards the end and pass off this slip as while not very pleasing, is agreeable/understandable?</p>
<p>hehe thanks :) hopefully i won't look like an idiot with only one post on the thread.
also if anybody would be willing to tell me my chances through pm, ill let you know a bit more about my ECs and other such things. THANKS IF YOURE WILLING TO DO THIS :D</p>
<p>Ok, I'll take a whack at your question. Of course you realize that anyone who tries to answer your question is really only giving an opinion.</p>
<p>I will start with the obligatory, grades are only one part of your application. To look at them out of the context of your whole application is very difficult. I am not asking for any more information, just pointing out the fact that other strong attributes can overcome poor grades (and your grades are far from poor).</p>
<p>What is the quality of the school you are coming from and what courses are you taking? A low to mid 90's average is not difficult to achieve in some public schools (maybe in some private schools too)</p>
<p>"would admissions understand that like senior year, people tend to get slightly lazy in their grades towards the end and pass off this slip as while not very pleasing, is agreeable/understandable?"</p>
<p>No, there is no reason for an admissions officer to give you a pass on anything. You have to realize that there will be many applicants with your overall average that don't have this dip. </p>
<p>Having said all of this, if your overall trend is upward I don't think a slip in one class in one quarter will hurt you. </p>
<p>Now is the part where you have to go back and read the second paragraph if this post.</p>
<p>i think most boarding schools would agree our school has slightly rough academics. it's a college preparatory school which obviously also means it's a private day school. it's pretty good in college matriculations, usually gets a kid into harvard/princeton/yale/columbia every year and now stanford's catching on.
in middle school for us at least, all the classes are chosen for you. you have no say in anything, except for a fine arts class in which i take strings (in which the teacher gives very generous grades. i've gotten 97s and 98s quite a lot of times in this class)</p>
<p>Think about how you will be rated on this form <a href="http://www.schools.com/forms/princ_rec.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.schools.com/forms/princ_rec.pdf</a> as well as the math & english teacher forms. Some schools provide a school profile which shows all the courses and the grade distribution. </p>
<p>What I am trying to say is that your grades will be judged relative to other students at your school, and some measure of how competitive your school is. I think grades and recommendations are very important, especially if you are not a strong athlete, development applicant, URM, legacy or bring other desired talents. </p>
<p>I don't know how getting an 89 or 90 will affect your chances. I suspect that it will be OK.</p>
<p>Grades matter, but in my opinion, not much. You might of slacked during the year and therefore your grades won't show a proper representation of your capability; they will look at your SSAT (or whichever test you took to apply) as a better indicator from that logic. In 7th grade (as lame and not similar to your situation as this is) I was the definition of slacker. Basically C's and B's with the occasional A in classes that you didn't need to do anything. I didn't turn in homework, ect. Now a year later I have the grades you do, and yet I am heading off to Exeter this fall. So no, I don't think they matter at all...</p>