<p>^^^ Question above.
If they still matter, is it only the very top schools that will still consider them? (such as HYPSM)?</p>
<p>I also wonder if I should work my ass off and strive for straight A's in my senior year second semester if I am planning later on to transfer into junior year in college.</p>
<p>They do matter, but less then to sophomore transfers. Just make sure that you show consistency and/or improvement.
And Yes, still work hard in senior year! I really regret giving up to seniorities.</p>
<p>The further down the rankings you go the less they matter. If you are applying to a top 25 school you better have a near-perfect gpa and a good story to compensate fore mediocre HS grades.</p>
<p>i am aiming for schools like penn and cornell. my situation is… its senior year second semester and frankly i think i need a break from academics. i can work my butt off and try to get all A’s this semester but I’m thinking is it worth it and should I just maintain say… all B’s. I’m planning to transfer from a rank ~30 college after studying 2 years there.</p>
<p>I would strongly recommend against this. While cases of senioritis are fun - and sure, it’s nice to have fun - falling to a B-range will not help. You’re in high school, senioritis is an invented excuse for kids to slack off and enjoy the last traces of a lighter schooling.</p>
<p>But that’s really a poor sentiment.</p>
<p>Teachers know that kids slack off - they typically, at least in my own experiences, become a little more lax with seniors to begin with. So sure, go to the beach when it gets warm, don’t stay up till the early hours of the morning studying, but if your intent is to transfer, don’t grow complacent. It requires less effort to maintain good grades - just a focused application of time. So do your work ahead, free up some time, take your beach day, and get ready to do it all again.</p>
<p>You’re better off finishing your high school with all A’s and then taking a year off before going to college.</p>
<p>You can say you needed some time to discover yourself and where you wanted to be.</p>
<p>Completely agree with Deep Blue and bquin21. You will seriously regret seniorities when you will be about to transfer, and I am saying this from experience.</p>
<p>What if senioritis is not the issue and you simply don’t have high enough high school grades? Will getting a 4.0 at the end of 3 semesters and a high SAT score (taken in high school) make me a competitive applicant given everything else?</p>
<p>Umm… There are people who did terribly in HS with really low GPA and made it into top schools after two years in a public uni or CC -I’m not saying it’s not possible. But when you compete with someone who also has a high college GPA and SATs like you, it may come down to HS records. I may be too defensive (not sure this is the right word for this) about this issue because I really wish I did better in my last semester in high school… and I kinda did it by choice. Like you, I thought that HS grades (especially in the last semester of senior year) would not matter as much when transferring.</p>
<p>PS -200th post!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your comments. I guess I will keep working hard this semester then!</p>
<p>hi its me again. i was just wondering… unless it really is a absolute borderline decision, they are not going to care too much about what grades i got senior year second semester right? shouldn’t they base their decisions like 95% on my accomplishments in college if I transfer into junior year?</p>
<p>Not true. The percentages of highschool to college aren’t exactly public information, and I’m sure each AdCom has a slightly different role in opinion. They could judge higher or lower. All we know is the relative amount: a junior transfer will be judged more heavily on college than highschool, while the ratio between these might be lesser for sophomore applicants. It could be 60:40 (college:hs) for Juniors, and 50:50 for sophomores, or virtually any number else.</p>
<p>If you’re still pandering about whether or not to “work hard” this semester, or just put it off, you’re not doing yourself a favor. Man-up, tie your laces, and start working now. Stop being petulant about the whole thing. If you want to transfer, accept that the next 2 years will be the hardest you’ll ever work; if you want to slack off and take that break that you clearly want, in a last semester of /highschool/, take it. Our opinions are just that - opinions. The action is on you.</p>