<p>A lot of people who have earned low junior year grades have been advised not to apply EA and to wait until after first semester senior year. </p>
<p>I looked at my transcript in March of my junior year (last school year) to fill out a scholarship form, and my first semester grades were not recorded. I would think if I had a bad junior year and improved first semester senior year, this also wouldn't be recorded. Colleges wouldn't be able to tell from my transcript that I improved. The only reason I can think of to wait to apply to colleges in this scenario is if I did so horribly in my junior year that I couldn't ask any of my junior year teachers to recommend me and I had to wait until my senior year teachers knew me well enough to recommend me.</p>
<p>Do other schools report grades by semester on their transcripts? Would guidance counselors report improvement? Why would students who don't do well in their junior year wait until after their first semester senior year to apply to colleges?</p>
<p>You should be asking your guidance counselor and not an external community. Only he would know how your specific school treats grades and grade reporting.</p>
<p>All schools with which I’m familiar put grades on transcripts by semester. Even if your school does not update mid year for most grades they will for Seniors because colleges require first semester grades for admission consideration. As far as a poor junior year, colleges will look at grades and trends. Junior year is probably the most important for college admission because the grades are most recent. If you tank Jr year you have a shot at showing an improvement as a Sr if you apply RD.</p>
<p>@fogcity, I wasn’t asking about me. I didn’t have bad junior year grades, and I’m definitely applying EA. I was just wondering why people would wait, based on what my transcript looked like junior year.</p>