<p>If you take a year off after high school, do the colleges look at your senior year grades? I know if you apply at the normal time (first semester senior year) they don't get to see the grades you have for all of senior year, just what kind of courses you are taking, and thus junior year grades are most important.</p>
<p>I'm asking because my grades in freshman and sophomore year were crappy, and although I have improved a LOT all through this junior year, I don't think it's enough to impress colleges. I know they look for improvement, but I am thinking about working my ass off all through senior year and trying to get straight-As so that I can demostrate my improvement even more.</p>
<p>I've never taken an AP class, and since my grades were bad in my first two years of high school my GC doesn't think I deserve to be put in one, even though I am totally different now and willing to work hard. Hopefully I can get into some kind of AP classes for next year.</p>
<p>Also, do colleges dislike inconsistency in the classes you take? I kind of screwed around with my courses in my first two years, so now I have a few odd semesters like Algebra II and Spanish II I have to make up this summer. Does it matter if the classes are taken in a solid one-year block or just that they are taken and completed at all?</p>
<p>To be clearer, here are my grades throughout high school:</p>
<p>Freshmen Semester 1 = C, D, B, B, B, C
GPA 2.33</p>
<p>Freshmen Semester 2 = C, D, B, C, C, B
GPA 2.17</p>
<p>Sophomore Semester 1 = B, D, C, C, C, B, A
GPA 2.43</p>
<p>Sophomore Semester 2 = A, B, C
GPA 3.00
(This was an alternative school, where you get to pick your classes and work at your own pace by yourself; I did really bad and only finished three classes)</p>
<p>Junior Semester 1 = A, A, A+, A, B, B
GPA 3.75?</p>
<p>Junior Semester 2 (so far) = A, A, A, B, B-, B
GPA 3.50</p>
<p>I actually took the SAT yesterday and my scores are pending. I am planning to take the SAT IIs in October. </p>
<p>So, if I take AP classes next year, get really good grades, and take the AP exams in May, will that help a lot?</p>