Analysis of Grades

The consensus view is that high school grades are probably the single most important factor in winning admission. Maintaining high grades is particularly important for the fall semester of senior year, as well as winter grades if applying by regular admission, and there is a report that colleges are paying greater attention to a student's grades throughout senior year. Particularly important is academic performance in core courses, and having a high grade point average based on good grades in AP-level or honors courses. Colleges evaluate applicants often by examining how a student has successfully exploited what a high school has had to offer. High school guidance counselor Erin Day of Summit High School in New Jersey suggested that of the top five criteria for getting into college, having good grades were first, second, and third most important overall (test scores were fourth, extracurricular activities and essay were fifth). An ideal academic record is one of increasingly better grades in courses of progressive difficulty. Hernandez wrote that colleges looked for patterns with both grades and test scores; high grades with low test scores suggested a hard-working student, but high test scores with low grades suggested a picture of a lazy student. Ninth grade grades generally do not count much, but trends are important--an upward trend in grades was a positive factor, a decline a negative one. Public universities are more likely to evaluate applicants based on grades and test scores alone, while private universities tend to be more "holistic" and consider other measures, according to one view.