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

[Anonymous]

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.

Uh, they are not. This is a strange and inaccurate statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eighth grade, what?

If you take high school classes in 8th grade.

Too bad if you have to go to Penn State though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an indirectly related questions. A lot of kids in DC’s grade have older siblings and seem to have access to tests used by teachers in earlier years, which helps them a lot. I didn’t even think about this until DC’s classmate blurted it out to her. If kids w older siblings h ave such an advantage and if grades matter so much, it seems a bit unfair no?

This doesn't make much sense. The tests themselves aren't that big of a secret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Wrong look at the stats. All schools report in the cumulative high school GPA of their incoming student body as well as test scores. This is all now a numbers game so the schools can rise in their rankings on the rankings services. Look at the SCHEV reports for all private and public universities in the state of Virginia. Everything is broken down by GPA and test score. http://research.schev.edu/. same with all other states, and the colleges themselves. And from there its a numbers game into the grad schools, especially law, which is now LSAT and GPA, almost exclusively.

[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.

Uh, they are not. This is a strange and inaccurate statement.

Even if there is the occasional one, which usually is an extremely talented URM, the reason is that the school to which he or she applied practices yield protection as explained above. They know that the student will never actually show up so turn him down to protect the yield numbers as reported to USN&WR. This is very important to a number of schools trying to improve yield numbers. Schools often can tell when they are being used as a safety. Ivies also don't like it when student X gets into all 8 Ivies because 7 will lose that yield number.

[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.

Uh, they are not. This is a strange and inaccurate statement.

new poster, but the statement is totally accurate. At least at the most selective schools; but at places like Ohio State, Penn State etc. those stats will be fine.

[Anonymous]

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.



Uh, they are not. This is a strange and inaccurate statement.


new poster, but the statement is totally accurate. At least at the most selective schools; but at places like Ohio State, Penn State etc. those stats will be fine.

It is only accurate if the students with perfect test scores and grades do not also have decent ECs and teacher recommendations, and that is highly unlikely.

[Anonymous]

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.



Uh, they are not. This is a strange and inaccurate statement.


new poster, but the statement is totally accurate. At least at the most selective schools; but at places like Ohio State, Penn State etc. those stats will be fine.

It is only accurate if the students with perfect test scores and grades do not also have decent ECs and teacher recommendations, and that is highly unlikely.

Balogna, the top colleges (which is what the pp was talking about) reject kids like that all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an indirectly related questions. A lot of kids in DC’s grade have older siblings and seem to have access to tests used by teachers in earlier years, which helps them a lot. I didn’t even think about this until DC’s classmate blurted it out to her. If kids w older siblings h ave such an advantage and if grades matter so much, it seems a bit unfair no?

The teachers at our DC's school rarely sent home graded tests. They kept them. Students could access them in school but not take them home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an indirectly related questions. A lot of kids in DC’s grade have older siblings and seem to have access to tests used by teachers in earlier years, which helps them a lot. I didn’t even think about this until DC’s classmate blurted it out to her. If kids w older siblings h ave such an advantage and if grades matter so much, it seems a bit unfair no?

This doesn't make much sense. The tests themselves aren't that big of a secret.

The kids don't get their tests back at my kid's school primarily for this very reason.

Luckily, my oldest learned the material when he was in school (sometimes with a tutor) and he now helps to tutor his younger brother.

Kids who are just memorizing old tests aren't really learning the material. That will eventually come back to haunt them....