Many people assume that their senior and junior years are the only ones that really matter when it comes to college admissions. However, that line of thinking could seriously hinder their acceptance odds.
College Competition
A few years ago, your freshman year grades may not have mattered all that much. But today, with the number of applications far outnumbering the number of places available, college admissions have become ultra-competitive. In order to pick the best of the best, college admissions panels scrutinize every detail on applications. They’re looking for that something that stands out. One of the things they look at is your freshman year grades.
Considerations Count
Your grades from your freshman year may not be the primary selection criteria. However, colleges take them into consideration when evaluating your application. This is more so in highly selective colleges, where all grades, including freshman year grades, are factored into the overall application assessment.
You certainly do not have to worry if your freshmen grades were a little lower than they are now. Colleges want to see if you made an effort to improve from those scores. They want to see your later grades show an upward trend. If you show an improvement from average or even subpar scores, your application is more likely to be viewed favorably than if you show no improvement or a downward trend.
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