Do 9th grade grades really count?

[Anonymous]

Help- I have heard such different things from different sources. Does your 9th grade GPA get included in your overall HS GPA?
How do colleges look at 9th grade? Does it vary from school to school?

We are at a "Big5" private in DC. Our school acts like 9th grade doesn't matter. We have an somewhat unmotivated kid getting a slow start and
I don't want to add pressure that is not needed but I want him/her to know the real deal. thx!

[Anonymous]

My 9th grader is struggling too, so I hope not!

[Anonymous]

Yes, 9-12.

[Anonymous]

Depends where your kid applies. Our experience applying to big public schools is that they appear to mainly just look at overall average GPA as it appears on the student's transcript. They don't calculate a special 10-12 GPA

[Anonymous]

Yes they count. GPA 9-12. MCPS students taking high school courses in 8 th also count.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely they count.

[Anonymous]

Of course 9th grade GPA gets included in an overall GPA. The only schools I'm aware of that don't include it in the GPA are the schools in the UC system.

The grades might matter less if the student's grades consistently improve throughout high school, but you can't really just throw them out and pretend 9th grade never happened. Having a low quarter grade to start off the school year isn't the end of the world, but the final (and perhaps semester) grades for freshman year courses will certainly be on the transcript that goes to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Most colleges count 9th. Even the ones that don't count it in the GPA (e.g. the UCs) will still look at the grades on the transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes they count. GPA 9-12. MCPS students taking high school courses in 8 th also count.

7th as well.

[Anonymous]

More importantly they are an indication of how the rest of high school will go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends where your kid applies. Our experience applying to big public schools is that they appear to mainly just look at overall average GPA as it appears on the student's transcript. They don't calculate a special 10-12 GPA

Yeah, no one does that. So then why does it depend?

[Anonymous]

GPA counts, which is computed with the first 3 year’s grades. Sorry...having said that, they do look at trajectory, so it helps to have the bad grades long ago and improve over time. You can even explain that in one section if the application (if you have a decent explanation). Good luck

PS-maybe your kid will listen to a senior

[Anonymous]

9th grade counts the least. Junior year is the most important

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends where your kid applies. Our experience applying to big public schools is that they appear to mainly just look at overall average GPA as it appears on the student's transcript. They don't calculate a special 10-12 GPA

Yeah, no one does that. So then why does it depend?

If a kid is marginal maybe they look more closely at progression, or if it is a smaller school they may spend more time with applications and be more familiar with nuances like progress over time rather than just an average GPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9th grade counts the least. Junior year is the most important

This. A couple freshman Bs might not sink you if you stay on most rigorous course and sophomore and junior improve. A couple junior abs is a problem.