Do COLLEGES LOOK at SENIOR YEAR?

Q: My GPA has fallen since my junior year in high school. Will colleges be looking at my senior year grades?

A: Yes, colleges will be looking at your academic performance during your senior year.

It is pretty common for high school students to see their grades drop during senior year. This may because students get lazy and are looking forward to leaving high school. But also, college visits and admissions applications can take a lot of time.

So while this grade drop is common, do not fall into the trap of thinking that your senior high school grades do not count. Because they do!!!

In fact, your freshman and sophomore grades are important too. Admissions officers are looking at your overall GPA, but they may also be looking to see if your GPA has been rising or falling during your high school career.

As you might imagine, a rising GPA is much more attractive than a falling GPA. A rising GPA shows progress and also might indicate that the grades will continue to rise in college.

Keep in mind that most college-bound high school students will have completed all of their requirements by the end of their junior year. This leads some high school seniors to take less-challenging courses during their last year.

Do not fall into this trap. Because even though you might not need the credits from another physics course, college admissions officers may be looking at the quality and level of difficulty of the courses you are taking during your last year in high school. This is especially true at schools where the contest for admissions is very competitive.

So at the end of the day, seniors need to keep their eye on the ball and choose challenging courses and strive for good grades during every year of high school.

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