Hi I’m wondering if my senior first semester grades count in ED/EA and/or RD applications. I’m currently a junior, and the reason I’m wondering this is because if I manage to get all As this year, I will only have a 4.03W, which I know is not happening. Thanks!
To my recollection, no. You might get deferred, but that’s not the end of the world; I had a high school friend who was deferred from his top choice but was still accepted in the RD pool and ended up going. But anyway, a 4.03 W is pretty decent. What’s your UW GPA?
For ED/EA, no, for the most part, although some college may require 1st semester grade and some HS’s may send them without asking… For RD, yes, unless the college does not ask for a transcript until after acceptance.
Many GCs will send in your mid semester grades to your ED/EA schools because they will be the last grades adcoms will see before they make their decisions. Those grades would not be factored into your GPA because they wouldn’t be official yet. If your school does not automatically send your grades in and you are on an upward swing then you should definitely ask your GC to send them in.
Sometimes when an applicant is on the borderline, they may specifically ask your GC to provide your mid semester grades.
BTW - my kids schools (2 different ones) sent their mid semester grades to their ED schools.
People applying to competitive schools, hoping for the 7th semester boost in cumulative GPA (and course rigor) will eschew EA/ED and aim for RD, expressly for the reason you’ve cited. Nothing wrong with that strategy – maybe drop an early app into a safety school in the meanwhile.
My nephew never took an AP course until senior year due to scheduling conflict (he transferred from an international school to an US school). He had all As for his AP courses by mid semester. His GC sent his latest senior grades to his ED school, and he was accepted. It was a top 20 school.
I don’t think it is necessary to wait for RD.
Your school can send unofficial mid-semester grades, that show colleges what your grades look like at the moment,. Most top schools ask for this mid-semester report.
If you want time to officially improve your grades, you should wait for the RD round.
Many schools will send 1st quarter grades to your ED school. While it’s not the question you’ve asked, don’t slack off! If you are deferred to RD, your ED school will request grade updates.
Thanks!
@Philpsych I currently have a 3.5 unweighted gpa. 
The schools I’m looking at specifically are Umich and USC.
An unweighted 3.5GPA for UMich, even for in-state, is a near impossibility. It’s THAT competitive.
@T26E4 I’m confident I can raise it to 3.6 at least. I read that Umich looked at 10-11 grades only, but I heard that changed. Is this true?
I don’t know. OOS UMich admits are 3.9 kids with +33ACTs in general – and full pay, usually.
I’m confident my SAT scores will be above average. Looking at naviance, kids at my school got in with an average of 4.17 gpa and 1470 SAT. Does UMich look at uw or Weighted gpa?
P.s. Do you play Wot?