So I’m a class of 2017 graduate, so I won’t have to worry about this for another year. However, if a college deadline is in January (for example, Stanfords is on January 3 for Class of 2016), can I still turn it in after deadline, or can they at least see my senior second semester grades? I ask this because though my GPA is good, it could be WAY higher (If I get all As through my junior and senior years, it can potentially raise my unweighted GPA from a 3.6, to a 3.72, to a 3.93 and weighted from a 3.81, to 3.93, to a 4.1). This could drastically improve my chances.
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can I still turn it in after deadline, or can they at least see my senior second semester grades?
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No and no.
Deadline - the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something:
ditto - no and no
How realistic is it for you to get straight A’s now in harder courses when you couldn’t earlier?
It is better to be realistic when considering which colleges you will apply to. That way you will be applying to schools that are likely to accept you and where you can do well.
It’s actually VERY realistic for me to get straight As (seeing as I don’t slack off.) School and grades have never been a problem with me, its always been whether I want to do the work or not, which was not the case in middle school and freshman year. However, since then I have been doing great in school, and IMHO opinion straight As with more rigourous courses is very douable (I will be shocked if I don’t get straight As actually).
Of course I have my safety schools; I’m not a complete idiot, lol. However I still want to give myself a chance. And if you meant “do better” as in I can’t compete with some of the top kids at those Universities, you don’t know who you’re talking to and what I’m capable of.
As to the topic, my question is a little misleading and I honestly worded it wrong. A better question, and my intended question was rather "Do second semester grades matter? If I slack off and get Bs and a few Cs, will colleges pay attention. Likewise, will colleges notice my improvement if I get straight As and will those grades be factored into my cumulative GPA?
“If I slack off and get Bs and a few Cs, will colleges pay attention?”
the college you decide to go to may notice and rescind your acceptance.
That is why it is important to maintain your grades all through your Sr year and not let the “senior slump” affect you.
Do schools actually consider 1st semester senior grades for admission? Or do they do they treat them the same as 2nd semester, as long as you don’t slack too much, you are good. I am wondering because I am debating applying to some reach schools Early Action, and while my test scores are in the range, my gpa falls short and would benefit if 1st semester senior grades are used for admission criteria.
@GriffBaum
"Do schools actually consider 1st semester senior grades for admission? Or do they do they treat them the same as 2nd semester, "
For non EA or ED, of course they look at your 1st semester Senior grades. It’s 1/7th of your entire HS career and, along with your 11th grade semesters, the three most indicative of your collegiate success.
Your situation is one of the BEST to not apply EA – to use that last semester’s boost (both in grades and class rigor) to really show your potential. Best of luck to you!
Okay, thanks. I was just wondering, because I could really benefit if they did. However even if I do well 1st semester senior year, it will still be enough.
Second-semester senior grades can come into play in some situations. Those include colleges where you have been waitlisted, and hope to attend, and some highly competitive, elite programs, especially in STEM fields, where admission will be contingent upon successful completion of a pre-requisite like Calculus or Physics. If you do poorly, or withdraw, your acceptance could be rescinded. Most colleges won’t rescind an acceptance on the basis of a B or C; they understand senioritis very well. A D, F, or W is a different matter. You should be especially mindful of this when applying to elite public universities, such as the UCs. They have a self-reporting process on applications, instead of transcripts. If you do not complete the courses you report, or your grades differ from those predicted, they can and will rescind.
Thank you! I was just wondering because some deadlines (like USC’s if you want to be considered for merit scholarships) come in December, before 1st semester senior grades are finalized. Say USC receives my application and looks it over in December, before my grades are finalized, I just have a hard time believing they will reconsider my application when my senior grades come in if they already looked over it, especially since USC is a reach for me
USC does not reject ANYONE early on. They offer the top scholarships, and early acceptances in Jan/ Feb to a very small % of students and defer all others until March.
All students who were not accepted early have to submit 1st semester grades.
You need to read carefully what the colleges actually say. None will get your second semester senior grades before the admission decison is made. Such grades can be used after you are admitted to withdraw your admission if they are poor grades and you should plan not to slack off.
As to whether first semester senior year grades are considered for admission, the answer is it depends. You mention Stanford and many schools are like it. It has an early Jan applicaiton deadline for regular decision. You need to submit your existing transcript at that time, but it also requires what is commonly referred to as a mid-year report to be submitted after you have applied, which is something you get your high school to submit after you finish that first smester, That report provides your first semester grades and those are considered in determining admission.
However, there are also many colleges, the University of California campuses being an example, which neither require nor want a mid-year report and the admisison decison is based on grades through junior year. The only exception is the college may actually contact some applicants before deciding admission and specifically request a mid-year report, usually of borderline candidates. But unless that specific request comes you are not to send first semester grades until you send final high school grades in June after being admitted.
Added to the the above is that you then have colleges that have two different application programs, regular admission and either early action or early decision. Stanford is actually an example of one of those. Besides that Jan application deadline, it has a separate application deadline for its early action program, where you apply by Nov 1 and get a decision in mid-Dec. For that admisison cycle, first semester senior year grades are not used to decide whether you will be admitted, but, of course, can later be used to withdraw any admission given.
USC has regular admission, wants that mid-year report, and has an early Dec 1 applicaiton deadline if you want to be considered for scholarships. That deadline is just part of the regular admission cycle and admission decisons are provided at the same time as those who apply by its Jan deadline.You are applying earlier than what otherwise is required but only to get into the possible scholarship group not to get any early decision.You still need to submit mid-year grades after you apply and those will be considered.
Thanks for the info. I also read somewhere that some colleges (like the UCs, for example) only actually evaluate your Sophomore and Junior grades, and that Freshman grades, if not terrible or average, aren’t really all that considered, if considered at ALL (I know Stanford is another one of those schools). If this is the case, I shouldn’t be in too much hot water. Which leads me to another question: why do some of these Universities do this? Don’t they look at the whole picture?
The UC’s do not use Freshman grades in their GPA calculation, but they do review these grades to make sure the applicant has passed the a-g course requirements needed to apply. Yes, these schools will give you some slack for less than stellar grades Freshman year, but you still need to pass with a C or better to meet their course requirements.