<p>can anybody please tell me what the role of the midyear report is? for example, say i have a 4.5 gpa and is ranked in the top 5% at the beginning of the year. but i slip up and my midyear report shows a 4.4 gpa and only top 7% at the end of first semester. when the adcoms decide on your admissions,will they decide on you based on your gpa/class rank at the beginning of the year or at the time of the midyear report.</p>
<p>The midyear report is actually a pretty important component of your application. It allows the admissions committee to see how are performing at the peak of your academic high school career (where you are typically taking the hardest courses in the school). I am sure no final decision is made on an application without a pretty thorough review of the applicant's 1st semester senior grades.</p>
<p>With that being said, it would be illogical to weight one semester's grades as much or more than 3 years of schoolwork. The grades/scores you have already earned will be the core component of your academic review by the duke adcoms. Anyways, dropping from a 4.5 to a 4.4 GPA and top 5% to top 7% is not going to be the reason why are waitlisted/rejected from Duke, so no worries. Its going from a 4.5 to a 3.5 or something to that extent that would really be a red flag. Keep in mind, however, that these grades DO count, so you want to do everything you can to prevent ANY drop in your grades. But if there had to be a drop (and im sure its pretty normal since by senior year you are taking the hardest classes offered), a 4.5 to a 4.4 is pretty harmless.</p>
<p>just my two cents</p>
<p>Rory, note that a slip from 4.5 to 4.4 in cumulative GPA would required a GPA for the 1st semester that is about (4.5 minus 4.4) * 7 which is =~~ .7, which would be about a 3.8 gpa for this semester.</p>
<p>i think Rory meant per semester. as in, usually you're getting a 4.5 each semester and then you get a 4.4.</p>
<p>Thanks tumbletiger009, that is exactly what I meant. Sorry for being unclear quantize.</p>
<p>Man, I hope the midyear report saves me from getting sacked! I had the highest grades in every class of all the students (except AP English maybe, but then I have the second or third highest) and I have 3 AP classes. Unfortunately, guidance stuck me in a regular class, which makes me despise them. I'm so nervous right now that I cannot stop searching for Duke stats. -_-</p>