Let’s Talk About Grades…

Let’s Talk About Grades…

As many of you prepare to return to a normalized semester, there’s a lot of lost time you may be tempted to make up for. You’ll want to reestablish your friendships and extracurricular involvements, and we encourage you to dive in. But keep in mind that your classroom performance will play a major role in determining how you are read as an applicant.

Some seniors are under the mistaken notion that 12th grade grades don’t matter. This could not be further from the truth! Especially in light of the number of schools moving to test-optional policies, your grades take on an even added role in the admissions process.  (And they were already at the top of the list!) Specifically, schools are interested in who you are as a student in a classroom environment. Hopefully online learning will only be a supplement to your experience moving forward. Whether or not you enjoyed virtual classes, now is your time to demonstrate what you’re capable of.

Let’s take a deeper dive.

Why exactly are grades important again?

Excellent question.

College is a vehicle for many things. You can gain research experience, partake in internships, and meet people from the other side of the world. Holistic review processes mean that colleges consider who you are as a person—your interests, school context, family background—to determine whether you are a good fit.

However, college is first and foremost is a place of higher learning.  Admissions officers must be sure their incoming cohort of students are capable of succeeding in their courses and contribute to the intellectual growth of classmates. They also want to protect their graduation and retention rates.

Strong grades in high school, particularly senior year—when students should take their most demanding classes—indicate that you will meet the rigor of college-level courses head-on.

Does That Mean I have to earn Straight As to Get Into College?

Not exactly.

Straight As help, of course, but getting one or two Bs will not necessarily devastate your chances of admittance, depending on where you apply and what classes you’re taking. In most cases, even at highly selective schools, earning a lower grade in AP Physics would be looked up on more favorably than in a regular science class, for example.

Colleges look for trends in your transcript: have you always been a straight-A student, or did you earn Bs throughout high school? If you have had a positive grade trend from freshman to junior year and then your grades dip a little, admissions officers may raise an eyebrow.

In general, you should aim to match or exceed the average high school GPA of students at your first-choice college. Keep in mind that straight As are common among applicants accepted to Ivy League schools; successful students combine excellent grades with excellent engagement in their passions.   

What If I apply early?

If you are accepted into your early action and early decision schools, the difference between an A and a B won’t rock the boat. Colleges aren’t going to rescind your admissions decision because you earned an 85% on a final test rather than a 95%. But dipping into Cs is risky and Ds and Fs are alarming.

Beyond acceptance and rejection, some colleges will defer early applicants to the regular decision round. In fact, deferral is the most common result of early decision applications. Perhaps they want to read you in the context of the whole applicant pool, are curious about how your extracurriculars will develop, or want to see your first semester senior grades. For students who had lower grades their freshman year or only took college-level courses their senior year, the latter is typically the case.

Is it “game over” for me if I get a bad grade?

Nope!

Many U.S. colleges use holistic review processes. They care about your context and consider how life circumstances affect your academic performance. Things happen, and colleges understand that.

How you respond to a poor grade (and bad circumstances in general) is more telling than the grade itself. Evaluate your effort, make necessary adjustments, and consult trusted advisors to help you formulate a plan to turn a bad grade around and more accurately demonstrate your true ability.

It may make sense to utilize the “Additional Info” section to explain an unexpected dip. But be careful not to turn this space into a rant about a poor teacher or some other shifting of focus. Rather, outline what you learned from the difficult experience and your plan for correcting course.

The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.

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