<p>To what extent does senior year matter in terms of grad school admissions? I did some searching and found a few posts saying that, due to the date of application deadlines, grades for undergrad senior year are unimportant (i.e. not considered). Makes sense.</p>
<p>What I'm wondering about is course selection. E.g.: when a program states a minimum requirement of X years of foreign language, are they saying the applicant needs to have those years under her/his belt at application time -- or at the end of undergrad? If the latter, how is this handled? Is there a section on the application for prospective coursework, as in undergrad applications for HS seniors? Or is it advisable to mention planned relevant coursework in the SOP? Does the undergrad transcript show courses in progress for fall semester of senior year? </p>
<p>If the requirements are to be met at application time, is there anything at all about senior year that can possibly impact admissions decisions? Would it be advisable to work like a dog packing all possible admissions-relevant coursework into the first 3 years, and leave senior year for ticking off the undergrad school's gen ed requirements, or is there some way to bring senior year's coursework/research to bear on the admissions process?</p>
<p>If application deadlines render senior year completely irrelevant, I could see a case being made for taking a year off after graduation and applying with one more year of X, Y, and Z coursework officially under your belt.</p>
<p>Any answers/thoughts are greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Each school’s application will vary. Some will specifically ask you to list coursework that is in-progress and planned. For others, you may just stick it in the “is there anything else we should know” box. I’d leave it out of the SOP in general.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the program you pick will probably have you submit final transcripts later to verify your undergrad degree has been conferred and that you have met the program requirements. Until then, they just have to take your word that you’re going to make good on it.</p>
<p>So ultimately, spending the first three years getting all the “hard work” done is helpful for a few things… leaving more time for the grad school app process during senior year, having things solidified on the app, and potentially having a bit of a “mental break” before heading into even more school.</p>
<p>Don’t many programs ask for your Fall semester grades as soon as they’re available?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, Evo. </p>
<p>I’ve just done some poking around on websites, and one of the four schools I looked at does ask for Fall grades to be sent as soon as they’re received.</p>
<p>I know schools generally emphasize later grades over earlier, but my situation seems to be reversed from most peoples. I sort of burned out my senior year, so my grades are not as good and I have several (4!) withdrawals. I graduated with decent grades, but a general downward trend for my last year. Also, my major GPA (in Sociology) is lower than my general GPA, though I do not plan on applying for that field (I’d like to study history).</p>
<p>I have several years out of college, and I have been working at the university doing research, I also got a post-bachelors certificate from Penn State online with a 4.0. So I’m hoping that that these factors will mitigate some of the problem. Anyone know if this is going to kill me?</p>
<p>So, this question came to mind again today. When a grad program states that you must have X years of a language to be admitted, are they saying you must have X years completed and done with at the time you send your application (say, Fall semester of senior year) – or do classes taken senior year count toward the requirement?</p>
<p>I’m not worried about meeting minimums so much as wondering if taking further courses in a language in both semesters of senior year will give me a leg up or be entirely irrelevant to admissions. Anybody know?</p>