Harvard and Senior Course Rigor

gibby
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:10:41 +0000

Q: During RD, do they still look at the course rigor for second semester senior year?
A: Yes, course rigor matters for 2nd semester seniors wanting to get into Harvard and virtually all selective colleges.

Q: What about grades?
A: College acceptances come out before 2nd semester senior grades. Acceptance letters usually say your admission is “contingent on the successful completion of the final year of high school” or some language to that effect. In other words, you have been accepted with the assumption that you will maintain something close to the level of accomplishment that got you into the college in the first place. The college will receive your 2nd semester senior grades over the summer. So long as your 2nd semester senior grades do not drop dramatically (say from an ‘A’ to a ‘D’ for example) you should be okay.