Do HS Freshman and Sophomore Year grades matter for college admissions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, more than people say. I just got on Naviance and can see the exact GPA / SAT scores that resulted in acceptances, waitlist, or rejections from DC’s school.

Do those data show GPA broken down by year, so that you can tell whether the GPA was a result of lots of A's in 9th/10th vs. in 11th/12thFall? Just saying a GPA >x got you in doesn't answer the question posed.

Naviance doesn't break it down by grade. That would simply be too much data. The GPA shown (at least at our high school) is end of SENIOR year GPA.

[Anonymous]

They do matter, due to the GPA, as many have mentioned. But, if your child’s grades improve as he/ she gets used to the US system... you have a strong argument in your favor. There is a way to explain extenuating circumstances. And there are hundreds of good colleges in the US . It will be OK.

[Anonymous]

CA schools don't look at freshman year GPA.

[Anonymous]

Of course grades from 9th and 10th grade matter. Schools may also look at grades from middle school classes, like algebra, geometry, and foreign languages, that count as high school credits. Otherwise, when your kid starts applying early senior year, the application would only include grades from 11th grade and fall of senior year.

Think of it another way - if there are two students with similar grades from 11th grade and test scores but one did significantly better before, which one should a college accept?

There are schools that only look at certain classes to remove PE or other non-academic classes or reweigh grades based on their own systems. Also, some schools tend to spend more time evaluating applications to see trends and other factors, but many school (especially big state schools) have admissions people that can only spending a few minutes per application and rely heavily on grades/test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course grades from 9th and 10th grade matter. Schools may also look at grades from middle school classes, like algebra, geometry, and foreign languages, that count as high school credits. Otherwise, when your kid starts applying early senior year, the application would only include grades from 11th grade and fall of senior year.

Think of it another way - if there are two students with similar grades from 11th grade and test scores but one did significantly better before, which one should a college accept?

There are schools that only look at certain classes to remove PE or other non-academic classes or reweigh grades based on their own systems. Also, some schools tend to spend more time evaluating applications to see trends and other factors, but many school (especially big state schools) have admissions people that can only spending a few minutes per application and rely heavily on grades/test scores.

That’s not how it works.
For one - grades and tests scores are just one part of the application so you can’t compare two 11th grade students based on just grades and test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely. It is a cumulative GPA for all four years. Some people will say that some colleges will note if a student has improved their grades over the four years but IMHE no college has that much time when they are processing 35,000 applications - it really all comes down to GPA (including the AP courses), test scores, and ECs. Essays get read only if you make the first cut on test scores and GPA>

This is all hog wash. It does not just come down to GPA and test scores. Why are many valedictorians and/or kids with perfect test scores rejected from top schools in favor of kids without those credentials? Hmmmmmm.
Teacher recommendations and jobs/projects that show a high level of intellectual curiosity and functioning count for a ton. Some schools are looking for smart , creative kids with ideas for new businesses (Facebook?).
High test scores and GPA might get an application a read - but it might be a short read before it’s tossed into the incinerator.

A) it's not hogwash. Go to college confidential and learn. High school GPA and test scores are the first cull.
B) If any valedictorians are being rejected it's because many SLACS and LACs practice yield protection (look it up), especially now that students are applying to 10+ institutions. Nine of those won't get a "yield" from the applicant, so it's common if a school thinks a student is using the school as a safety to not admit them because they know they won't show up (yield). This is particularly true of highly sought after URMs.
C) No, teacher recommendations and ECs aren't useful until you get past the first hurdle. Almost every campus hires outside temporary readers to do the first cull on the applications. They take each one and summarize the GPA (and where that student stands in that student's high school class, which can be done because each school submits a senior class/GPA profile to institutions every year) and test scores. If those are sufficiently high, then whether or not the child is a legacy, URM, athlete, plays the vibraphone, or is a "development case" (parents might donate big bucks) are also indicated. The readers also read the essays and grade them.
D) The average application gets a TOTAL six minute read, including the contractor readers and then the actual admissions officers

We just did ‘college admissions for several kids’ instead of looking at college confidential or naviance you are right.
You do realize that those sites mostly function as a basic guide and to keep parents busy, right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CA schools don't look at freshman year GPA.

You don't know what you are talking about.
First, learn what "California schools" means -
You don't mean private California schools. That leaves

1) the premier university of california system
2) the Cal State system
3) the community college system, which feeds into 1 and 2.

I'm presuming you are talking about no. 1. Still, your information is false. https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-general/522326-ucla-berkeley-do-consider-freshman-year-grades-in-admissions.html

[Anonymous]

Yes, but freshman grades not so much.There is a place on the common AP to discuss circumstances.

My son also had a rough transition, too.He is in college now. Not Harvard, but a very good one.

My advice to you is worry about high school for its own sake. In America, there's always an opportunity to regroup.

[Anonymous]

Poor grades earned during freshman/sophomore year usually don't add up to excellent grades/test scores in 11th/12th grade.

I think it would look fishy for a kid to have a "C" in Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 and then an "A" in Precalc and AP Calc.

Poor grades freshman/sophomore year often preclude you from even taking the more rigorous courses in 11th/12th. 9th and 10th grade absolutely do matter.

[Anonymous]

GPA is based on end of year grades, so your DC has another semester to get them up. If sophomore and Junior year grade are vastly improved, the freshman grades will not count as much. Plus he can write a blurb on the ap that explains the freshman grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course grades from 9th and 10th grade matter. Schools may also look at grades from middle school classes, like algebra, geometry, and foreign languages, that count as high school credits. Otherwise, when your kid starts applying early senior year, the application would only include grades from 11th grade and fall of senior year.

Think of it another way - if there are two students with similar grades from 11th grade and test scores but one did significantly better before, which one should a college accept?

There are schools that only look at certain classes to remove PE or other non-academic classes or reweigh grades based on their own systems. Also, some schools tend to spend more time evaluating applications to see trends and other factors, but many school (especially big state schools) have admissions people that can only spending a few minutes per application and rely heavily on grades/test scores.

If your kid wants to be accepted to a place like Harvard, MIT or Stanford they are going to need high 90’s test scores, decent grades in hard classes and then they need to have done something like added to research in a topic they are interested in, done a major project or thought of and organized a new business idea. The ‘B’ the kid received in US history sophomore year and the B in Spanish freshman is not actually going to matter .
We’ve seen lots of astonished and disappointed kids with perfect grades and test scores rejected from the top schools. It’s not just about grades.

If you are talking about lower level schools though maybe they just have a cutoff bar, sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CA schools don't look at freshman year GPA.

You don't know what you are talking about.
First, learn what "California schools" means -
You don't mean private California schools. That leaves

1) the premier university of california system
2) the Cal State system
3) the community college system, which feeds into 1 and 2.

I'm presuming you are talking about no. 1. Still, your information is false. https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-general/522326-ucla-berkeley-do-consider-freshman-year-grades-in-admissions.html

College confidential again! You must spend a lot of time on there. Enjoy that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CA schools don't look at freshman year GPA.

You don't know what you are talking about.
First, learn what "California schools" means -
You don't mean private California schools. That leaves

1) the premier university of california system
2) the Cal State system
3) the community college system, which feeds into 1 and 2.

I'm presuming you are talking about no. 1. Still, your information is false. https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-general/522326-ucla-berkeley-do-consider-freshman-year-grades-in-admissions.html

College confidential again! You must spend a lot of time on there. Enjoy that.

Did you write that way back in 2008 , PP? It sounds like you.

[Anonymous]

If you’re applying to a “self-report” school where you must fill in grades from 8th-11th grade (Penn State, Va Tech, Pitt), then YES, they really do look at your grades closely.

At these schools, your stats matter more than your extracurriculars.

[Anonymous]

Eighth grade, what?