<p>I have tried to search CC to get this answer, because I know it's out there. But I can't quite get the right search terms. </p>
<p>I am wondering which grades are considered by a college when it determines its merit aid award. Is it the grades from the end of junior year that are submitted with the application? Is it the grades from the first term (or two) of the senior year? Something else?</p>
<p>I realize some schools will vary...but GENERALLY what's the norm?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, it can vary by school, but our experience was that grades 9-11 seemed to be the years.</p>
<p>But…please check the policy with each school, because not only might some use different years, some might not consider certain classes in the GPA (like PE, electives, religion). Some might recalculate GPA.</p>
<p>And, some schools will take weighted grades, while some may not.</p>
<p>Which schools are you looking at?</p>
<p>I think they look at the GPA listed on your high school transcript which usually comes from all 4 years of your high school grades. If you go to more than one high schools over the years, they may average out the GPA from all different high school transcripts.</p>
<p>Many schools have Fall deadlines for scholarship consideration, so that’s why some limit the GPA consideration to the first 3 years. </p>
<p>Many scholarships are considered and awarded long before all 4 years of grades are complete. (as a matter of fact, it’s hard to find many schools that will still award a scholarship if the application is sent in now…even if the school has rolling admissions.)</p>
<p>However, some schools may include the 1st semester grades of senior year.</p>
<p>Again, each school can have a different policy.</p>
<p>In our experience, it depended on the timing. For EA decisions, schools looked at grades -11 only. For Regular decision, they looked at grades 9-11 and the first semester of senior year. It was the cumulative GPA reported on the kiddos transcript.</p>
<p>NOW…many schools recompute GPA using their own formula…formulas used by high schools vary wildly. So colleges will use their own formula to recompute. Some schools count only core classes (so no classes like art, music, culinary arts, PE) like math, science, English, history, foreign language.</p>
<p>And…to add another wrinkle…</p>
<p>Some schools will only consider SAT & ACT scores up to a certain date for merit.</p>
<p>yep, what they said!</p>
<p>check with your specific schools for specific answers.</p>
<p>Varies school to school, but usually they will consider all the grades they have by the time the application is submitted. So if your application includes mid-year senior grades, they will count those as well as your 9-11 grades and your SAT/ACT scores.</p>
<p>OP here…@Mom2 - we’ve just begun college tours to try to figure out what kind of atmosphere he wants (urban, rural, large, small, etc.) My motivation in asking the question is to motivate HIM. He’s a junior, and this year in particular he has really gotten caught up with socializing, hanging out, socializing, Facebooking, socializing…you get the picture. Homework and studying take a back seat. I need to snap him out of this because he is an excellent student and he can’t let those grades drop (all of his core classes are weighted.) Our deal is that he earns merit aid to pay his part, parents then pay their part.</p>
<p>So…no schools in particular. I’m just wondering about the norms for when merit aid is calculated and offered.</p>
<p>Junior year grades are critical for college acceptances which in itself ought to be some incentive.</p>
<p>Son’s college told me they use the grades from the transcript sent in with the application UNLESS mid year senior grades make a substantial change to the numbers.</p>
<p>we’ve just begun college tours to try to figure out what kind of atmosphere he wants (urban, rural, large, small, etc.) My motivation in asking the question is to motivate HIM. He’s a junior, and this year in particular he has really gotten caught up with socializing, hanging out, socializing, Facebooking, socializing…you get the picture. Homework and studying take a back seat. I need to snap him out of this because he is an excellent student and he can’t let those grades drop (all of his core classes are weighted.) Our deal is that he earns merit aid to pay his part, parents then pay their part.</p>
<p>Virtually EVERY school is going to put HIGH importance on junior year grades. Even if a school considers some of senior year grades for merit (which some won’t), remember, it will only be one semester’s worth and won’t compensate for a bad junior year. More to the point…a student who is slacking off as a junior due to socializing is less likely to improve his habits senior year.</p>
<p>Start dangling some major carrots NOW. Give an expectation of a certain (reasonable) GPA for junior year marking periods with consequences if he doesn’t meet them, and some kind of reward if he does. If his school has online grades, you can check them weekly and if the grades are what they should be…then reward…if they’re not, then consequence (loss of car privileges, whatever is important to HIM)</p>
<p>“Start dangling some major carrots NOW”…</p>
<p>^^^if it were only that easy…</p>
<p>LOL…</p>
<p>Well, it’s a matter of appealing to what’s important to the kid. However, if deep down, the kid doesn’t really care about going to college, then it won’t work.</p>
<p>But, if the child is college material and should go to college, then you need to feed his desire to want to go…and that might require some campus visits to some cool campuses to create that desire.</p>
<p>Oh, my son wants to go to college very much. But this newfound socializing is giving me fits! At this current time, the issue is Chem, and the deal is that if he doesn’t get an A or a B on the next unit exam, then he is staying after school every day with the teacher until the following unit exam. He also has to give me his Chem homework every single day. I love his teacher for posting her daily teaching plan on her website…day by day! DS can’t tell me “we didn’t have any homework tonight.” LOL!</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>What’s the reward if he gets the A or B? I know some will disagree, but in cases like this, if you’re going to punish for the lack of an A or B, you should be willing to offer some reward for the A or B (a better one for an A). Even if it’s just tickets to a movie for him and a friend (that’s only $20).</p>
<p>The consequence of NOT DOING THE WORK is staying after school every day of the next unit. It’s not a punishment and reward situation.</p>
<p>I know my son. Bs are very, very easy for him. As require SOME effort to be expended. This situation is not a carrot for an A. It’s a consequence of not even trying, which is not acceptable.</p>
<p>Oh, I understand your thinking…but a consequence is just a euphemism for punishment. </p>
<p>I still think you’ll catch more flies with some offered honey. But, what do I know, I’m just a mom who has 2 kids going to college on nearly full ride scholarships.</p>
<p>I’m with Wiggle on this. I was a straight-A student, my brother somewhat less so in high school and our parents attitude was that we were expected to get A’s (or in my brother’s case B’s), and there was no reward for meeting that expectation. There were definitely consequences for NOT meeting it however (no going out, car/cell phone/allowance reduced, not being able to participate in after school activities, a serious bawling out by both parents and then a semester of constant reminders about your grades). </p>
<p>I knew kids who got “rewarded” for getting A’s. There parents would give them $100 or even a car or some other kind of privilege. I always thought that was a little bogus. I mean, doesn’t that just teach you that you shouldn’t do things for yourself or others unless you get something back? My boss does not for example reward me for coming to work every day on time. However there are consequences if I don’t. My parents didn’t reward me for doing my chores (they gave me allowance, but it wasn’t linked to chores), but there were consequences for me and everyone in my family if I didn’t do them (I got punished. my family had to deal with overflowing garbage bins or dirty dishes). </p>
<p>I subscribe to the Heathcliff Huxtable method (from Cosby show episode 1): Theo… that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! No wonder you get D’s in everything! You’re afraid to try because you’re afraid your brain is going to explode and it’s going to ooze out of your ears. Now I’m telling you, you are going to try as hard as you can. And you’re going to do it because I said so. I am your father. I brought you into this world, and I’ll take you out!</p>
<p>I should note here though that I’m not a parent, I’m just commenting on how I was brought up. I don’t think my folks did such a lousy job. But I recognize that there are many methods of parenting.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about anything like $100 for A’s. I’m talking about a little sugar for a job well done…like movie tickets for the student and a pal. Sometimes it just takes a little incentive to get a misdirected child (as the OP describes) back on the right track. :)</p>