Q: By the fall, many seniors have applied to colleges. Does it matter if they maintain their grade point average in their senior classes? Do colleges look at senior year grades? What about seniors being accepted on early admission?
A: The college admissions process can seem convoluted as each institution and system has its own values, admission requirements and processes. What holds more weight at one university may be less important at another. Since there is not a universal standard, high school students may be left confused or frustrated navigating this complex, yet important, step in their lives.
However, one aspect that is constant, regardless of the institution a student is applying to, is the grade point average (GPA). This is a data point every admissions office will take into consideration, among a bevy of other elements, in order to determine which applicants will be offered admission for the upcoming academic year.
Many students start applying to their higher education choices during their junior year, but this is not a requirement. For a number of reasons, other students may elect to complete the college application process during their senior year of high school. There are pros and cons to each situation, but ultimately, the student should do what is best for their situation.
When applying to schools during the fall semester of a high school senior year, a few items hold true: Admissions offices have reviewed a good number of applications, and colleges have already started filling out their freshman class. The longer a student waits to apply, the stronger and more competitive the application needs to be, as schools will generally have fewer slots remaining for new admits.
However, when an application is finalized and submitted to an admissions office, it seems that a snapshot of history has been taken. A higher education institution will make its admissions decision based on what has been submitted in that picture full of data elements. Does anything after the application submission still matter? Does the GPA still count for anything after this date?
I say it does for a two reasons:
- Even if an admissions office makes a positive decision in the applicant’s favor, that is just one piece of the puzzle. Often, institutional and external academic scholarships are not determined until a final official transcript is submitted.Academic scholarships can be very powerful to lower the amount paid out of pocket or through federal financial aid, thereby keeping more money in the student’s pocket and lowering the amount of loans borrowed.By finishing a senior year on a high note and either maintaining or raising the cumulative GPA, an academic scholarship that reflects that hard work is more likely to appear.
- There are also mental impacts at play:
a. A student can boost their self-confidence going into college knowing they were capable of achieving high marks in high school, especially when it would have been easy not to follow through. This may help create strong academic habits and increase momentum as the transition from high school level classes to college level coursework takes a leap up.
Students will be more prepared with good study habits and a knowledge of success in the past to lean on.
b. Perseverance is a vital trait in both personal and professional settings. If an applicant has already been admitted, it may seem easy to slack off knowing your future school is already determined. However, by finishing strong, a student is building perseverance by staying the course. The short-term impact can be felt during the college years, but long-term, it can be beneficial in a career.
While students should certainly enjoy their senior year of high school, it is important to maintain academic progress, even after admission applications have been submitted.
