<p>1) Since apps are sent January 1st; is my official transcript (grades/rank) (the one colleges see and judge) based off the cumulative grades 10-12 (first semester)?</p>
<p>I chose to apply Regular Decision (instead of ED) because I wanted colleges to see my upward trend and higher ranking after 1st semester of senior year and courseload for Junior year was meh cause of schedule issues.</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<p>Sophomore Year = 4.15 w / 3.45 uw (3 honors, 1 AP)
Junior Year = 4.5 w / 4.0 uw (1 Honors, 2 AP)
Current rank = 42/772</p>
<p>Senior Year = 5.0 w / 4.0 uw (6 AP Classes)
Projected rank (counselor) = 36/772</p>
<p>Please do not wait until Jan. 1st to send in your apps. That is the deadline for ALL paperwork to be in by. Common App. website or each college’s own website should tell you what has been received. You will need to become familiar with tracking methods of each school.</p>
<p>Guidance counselors will send in your transcript which includes your final grades from 9-11 grade and 1st semester senior. Then end of year grades will also be sent to whatever school you decide on.</p>
<p>Somewhere on the common app form they ask you to list your senior year classes so even if you apply ED, they will have a list of your 1st semester classes. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>For those colleges with Jan app deadline, you generally must send initial transcript by no later than deadline date and thus usually before your mid-year grades. Colleges fall into following categories for regular admission:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Majority, particularly most public universities, make decisions based on grades through junior year and do not use first semester senior grades and do not want you to send them and will ignore them if sent.</p></li>
<li><p>If it is a rolling admissions school, meaning it sends out decisions as applications are received, it also will not use senior grades. Moreover, the longer you wait to apply to such schools the lower your chances of admission because programs may fill before those later applicants apply.</p></li>
<li><p>If it is a school that sends out decisions in March/April, and requires a mid-year report (your first semester grades) to be sent after you apply, which includes most of your higher ranked private universities, it will use first semester senior grades in the decision. However, there is absolutely no reason to wait till last minute to apply. For example, if you apply in Nov, they still won’t be making that final admission decision on you until you submit those mid-year grades.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In other words, any belief you have that you need to wait until the last minute to apply so that senior year grades are considered is wrong for all colleges.</p>