HS quarter grades vs semester grades?

[yoopermom]

DS16 just completed his sophomore year.At the end of this year, we were unhappy because two of his quarter grades were poor (Cs), even though he pulled up the semester grades (with great final exams, showing he knows the stuff) to Bs.

So, in general, are quarter grades important when it comes to college admissions, or do they look at semester grades?

(Either way, this is NOT going to happen this year, believe me ...)

Terri

 

[Mandychelle79]

I would think it would be whatever grade he had earned at the end of the class. So if the class only lasts a quarter, then it would be the quarter grade, a class lasts a semester, it would be the semester grade, and if it was a class that lasted a year it would be the final grade of the year.

 

[collegejunkie]

only your final grade and state exams (for state schools) will really matter. upward trends do help, so going from Cs to Bs is great

 

[YodaGirl]

only your final grade and state exams (for state schools) will really matter. upward trends do help, so going from Cs to Bs is great

 

[agnes!]

Colleges will look at whatever is on his official HS transcript for his 9/10/11 grades, so quarters before Senior year don't matter. Senior year can be a little tricky, sometimes just the semesters and sometimes the first semester + third quarter + 4th quarter...it all depends on the college (after all the colleges do make admit decisions before the final grades are released for HS Seniors).

agnes!

 

[ksjayhawks]

Most grades are put on the transcript as a semester grade. Exception would be something that would be a quarter grade--such as pe/health perhaps.

 

[golfgal]

It depends on how your high school does the transcript but generally if you are on a semester system the final grade for that semester is what appears on the transcript. If it is a year long class, that year long grade may be what shows up. Honestly though, his overall GPA is what really will matter in the end. They are looking more for WHAT classes he took and overall GPA. A C in a semester in his sophomore year will have little bearing on the overall decision process as long as his overall GPA is fine. Many colleges even put the GPA fairly far down the list of things they evaluate. Most often it is rigorousness of course schedule, ACT/SAT scores, class rank, then GPA.

We are on a trimester system so grades go in either as a trimester grade or an overall yearly grade.

 

[Christine]

Colleges will look at whatever is on his official HS transcript for his 9/10/11 grades, so quarters before Senior year don't matter. Senior year can be a little tricky, sometimes just the semesters and sometimes the first semester + third quarter + 4th quarter...it all depends on the college (after all the colleges do make admit decisions before the final grades are released for HS Seniors).

agnes!

I vaguely remember my DD's guidance counselor discussing this.

When the school submitted grades to colleges they did it at a time when the full semester had not been completed so for 9/10/11 grade it was all semesters but on the senior year transcript there was a quarter grade because of the timing.

 

[MickeySP]

Colleges will look at whatever is on his official HS transcript for his 9/10/11 grades, so quarters before Senior year don't matter. Senior year can be a little tricky, sometimes just the semesters and sometimes the first semester + third quarter + 4th quarter...it all depends on the college (after all the colleges do make admit decisions before the final grades are released for HS Seniors).

agnes!

Semester & final grades were what I remember being most important when DS was in college process.

I bolded because, this can be untrue, colleges can withdraw offers based on Sr year. It is rare but I know of once instance where it happened at a highly competitive university.

 

[golfgal]

Semester & final grades were what I remember being most important when DS was in college process.

I bolded because, this can be untrue, colleges can withdraw offers based on Sr year. It is rare but I know of once instance where it happened at a highly competitive university.

Most schools we have looked into request a final transcript sent after senior year. I don't know that kids are aware of this very often . Our kids' high school counselor said she has about 50 calls each spring asking that she talk to students about this

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Just semester and final grades are really important. DS is a senior and has been warned that schools can request 2nd semester grades, but in reality very few schools do. They are busy enough without having to rescind offers because kids slack off during the 2nd semester of senior year.

If it were common we'd see parents freaking out here every spring, or maybe not considering every DIS kid is exceptional.

 

[golfgal]

Just semester and final grades are really important. DS is a senior and has been warned that schools can request 2nd semester grades, but in reality very few schools do. They are busy enough without having to rescind offers because kids slack off during the 2nd semester of senior year.

If it were common we'd see parents freaking out here every spring, or maybe not considering every DIS kid is exceptional.

I don't think that most parents are aware that colleges get a final transcript. Colleges are also smart enough to know that if your A student gets a B or two second semester of his or her senior year it isn't because your child all of the sudden got stupid . I think most colleges do this to verify that the kids took the required classes for admission vs the actual grades, unless they were REALLY bad grades for that semester. If a school requires 4 years of math, for example, they do need written record that your child did take that.

 

[MoonFaerie]

Only final course grades counted towards our GPA calculation.

 

[agnes!]

Colleges will look at whatever is on his official HS transcript for his 9/10/11 grades, so quarters before Senior year don't matter. Senior year can be a little tricky, sometimes just the semesters and sometimes the first semester + third quarter + 4th quarter...it all depends on the college (after all the colleges do make admit decisions before the final grades are released for HS Seniors).

agnes!

Semester & final grades were what I remember being most important when DS was in college process.

I bolded because, this can be untrue, colleges can withdraw offers based on Sr year. It is rare but I know of once instance where it happened at a highly competitive university.

I think you misunderstood my first sentence. What I posted was:
Colleges will look at whatever is on his official HS transcript for his 9/10/11 grades, so quarters before Senior year don't matter.
Which is true. Before Senior year, they only care about whatever is on that official transcript, in many cases not even semester grades are on there, just final grades in each subject for the year.

And yes, while colleges might not often rescind an admit decision based on 2nd Semester grades, they can (and do!) rescind scholarship offers if Sr. year grades take a nose-dive.

agnes!

 

[illuminationsfanatic]

When I graduated high school six years ago, the colleges I applied to only looked at the grades on my transcript which were the semester grades. Upon being accepted to the university, they still required that I sent them a final transcript after graduating.

 

[yoopermom]

OP here, thanks y'all, I knew you'd know. This year is a fresh start!

Terri