Does Freshman Year of High School Matter for College TKG

Does Freshman Year of High School Matter for College We get this question a lot from parents and students alike. Freshman year often gets overlooked as an important year academically because it’s considered by many to be a “transition” year. Don’t get us wrong, the transition from middle to high school can be a tough one, but please hear us when we say that freshman year is not considered a transition year to colleges. Freshman year is just as important as sophomore year, junior, and senior year. If you’re considering if something is important for college admissions, ask yourself: will colleges see the outcome of this? Applying this logic to freshman year grades: will colleges see your freshman year grades? Yes, they will. Let’s tackle all of the myths that make up the larger one that says that freshman year doesn’t really matter in the context of college admissions. Here are the best hits:  â€œWell, even though colleges see the grades from freshman year, it doesn’t technically ‘count’ because it’s the least impor tant year.”In response to this (inaccurate) statement, we ask: why is it the least important year? Because it’s the first? We think of freshman year as a crucial building block of high school. It’s the bottom level of the pyramidâ€"it comes first, and it’s the largest, and everything else is built on top of it. That’s how you should think of your high school experience. The whole idea that junior year is “most important” overlooks the fact that you must learn and develop crucial habits in your freshman and sophomore years in order to succeed in your junior year. Human beings don’t just do a complete 180 from one day to the next, particularly when we’re talking learned habits and skills like time management, work ethic, challenging oneself, asking questions, in-depth curiosity, discipline, and focus. These skills are developed and honed over time. “If my kid got Cs their freshman year but then boosted their grades up to Bs, colleges will disregard the Cs.”Wrong. What colleges look for above all, is consistency. Our students are on the whole receiving consistent As, and that’s what you should aim for as well. If you have a C average freshman and sophomore year, and then boost your grades up to As and Bs your junior year (all while enrolled in challenging classes, of course), then that signals to colleges that you were lazy and didn’t step it up until it “mattered.” It also indicates that you might lack motivation and the desire to challenge yourself (and you might be spending too much time on Instagram), which aren’t great things to convey with a transcript. “There was a major life event that occurred that resulted in a huge dip in my grades. Surely, colleges know that life happens sometimes, so it won’t matter.”Here’s the thing about this situation: the people reading your application, just like us, and just like your mom, can’t read your mind. But above that, they don’t know your life story. In the case that somethin g did truly happen that resulted in a dip in your grades, then make sure that you explain it (emphasis on explain, not excuse) in the Additional Information section. What’s the Additional Information section for? It’s used for this reason, among others.  Let us know if you have any questions. We’re here to help you.