how much do 9th grade grades matter?

[Anonymous]

My child is struggling with one class as a 9th grader while the others are great. How much do 9th grade grades come into play with college admissions?

[Anonymous]

the same as 10th and 11th. 12th grades do not matter for some schools.

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you mean by struggling and what the target schools are. It also depends on what school he currently attends, what the course is, SAT/ACT etc. I know parents who will define struggling as a B. Don’t sweat a B. I think a C is less than ideal but if it’s an outlier over 4 years, it will probably be OK provided you aren’t aiming for extremely competitive schools.

[Anonymous]

At the UCs they don’t count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you mean by struggling and what the target schools are. It also depends on what school he currently attends, what the course is, SAT/ACT etc. I know parents who will define struggling as a B. Don’t sweat a B. I think a C is less than ideal but if it’s an outlier over 4 years, it will probably be OK provided you aren’t aiming for extremely competitive schools.

Agree with this. My dd got a C or 2 in 9th. It affects her gpa but hasn’t mattered for college acceptances since she has all A’s and B’s since. She did not apply to T20 or above. I do think there should be more A’s and top classes.

[Anonymous]

If she has one class in 9th grade that is an outlier in her grades I don't think it's a big deal....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the UCs they don’t count.

True, but if the grade is a D they might need to retake to get credit for their required courses. (And or course admissions officers will see the grade, so it's possible it would warrant some discussion in an appropriate place. Best if future courses in that subject have higher grades.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the same as 10th and 11th. 12th grades do not matter for some schools.

Curious.... Where don't 12th grades not matter for RD?

[Anonymous]

Depends what you’re aiming for. Also consider if this is a portent regarding that subject, if it’s a core class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the UCs they don’t count.

Not at Emory or Stanford. For smaller schools, they typically matter less because AOs are more carefully reviewing your transcripts. At large publics they’re more likely to be counted equally because GPA is the metric.

[Anonymous]

It is the GPA that counts. So, 9th grade issues matter (just like all the rest). Having said that, if your kid is going to struggle in high school, it is better in 9th grade than 11th, because you can argue he has had a positive trajectory.

It is too soon to tell how your kid will do in 10th, 11th or 12th grade. Encourage him to do his best. That is all you can ask for (not specific grades).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you mean by struggling and what the target schools are. It also depends on what school he currently attends, what the course is, SAT/ACT etc. I know parents who will define struggling as a B. Don’t sweat a B. I think a C is less than ideal but if it’s an outlier over 4 years, it will probably be OK provided you aren’t aiming for extremely competitive schools.

If you live in Maryland you will not get into UMD with a final grade of a C.

[Anonymous]

It all matters, but it's all a metric. Think of it like an analogy of credit. You have to build the credit over the 4 years. Miss a bill in 9th grade, your credit goes down...pay on time over the next 3 years. The credit will improve. Will it ever be a perfect rating? No. But, growth is good. Move up in classes. Honors to AP. That helps your credit even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is struggling with one class as a 9th grader while the others are great. How much do 9th grade grades come into play with college admissions?

Standford doesn't even look at 9th grade grades.

[Anonymous]

Michigan doesn’t calculate 9th grade grades into GPA.