When I was a teen at a competitive high school, it was widely believed that freshman year grades held little weight in college admissions. The prevailing wisdom was that as long as you boosted your GPA to straight As by junior year, you’d be just fine. However, this notion seems to be fading away.
In a recent episode of Slate’s “Getting In” podcast, a high school student expressed concerns about his poor grades during ninth and tenth grades potentially hurting his chances of getting into a selective college. The expert on the show, admissions consultant Parke Muth, provided some clarity. He explained that while the best indicators of college readiness are grades from junior year and the first semester of senior year, earlier grades are still part of the transcript. He cautioned that lackluster performance in freshman and sophomore years “[aren’t] going to help you stand out,” which means those grades can become a liability.
However, Muth also highlighted that poor grades aren’t the end of the world. Essays and recommendations play a significant role, and how students explain their academic struggles can provide context to admissions officers. For instance, Muth mentioned a student who candidly shared her battle with depression and an eating disorder in her college application, which helped frame her earlier academic challenges in a more understanding light.
But what about students who simply didn’t excel academically without any significant personal struggles? As someone who wasn’t particularly brilliant in high school due to a lack of time-management skills, I worry that ramped-up scrutiny during freshman year might stifle students’ opportunities for academic exploration. When do kids get the chance to pursue subjects they find intriguing without the constant worry about their grades? It’s essential for students to push their boundaries, make mistakes, and learn from them. If they feel pressured to achieve high grades from the outset, they may avoid challenging courses that could foster growth.
Julie Lythcott-Haims, a former dean at Stanford and author of How to Raise an Adult, offers a different perspective. She suggests that ninth grade should be a time for students to build their skills and confidence in navigating high school. Her advice emphasizes engagement with the learning process rather than focusing solely on grades.
Conversely, I align with the philosophy of allowing our children to fail. Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, argues that experiencing setbacks is vital for developing resilience and intrinsic motivation. If students are overly concerned about impressing college admissions committees from freshman year, they may miss out on exploring their interests and passions.
In fact, colleges might benefit from looking at students’ failures alongside their successes. Consider the student who tackles a challenging engineering course, receives a D, and tries again. Or the one who knowingly enrolls in a notoriously difficult English class and ends up with a C. Such choices reflect initiative and self-direction, qualities that are invaluable in higher education.
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In summary, while ninth-grade performance does matter to some extent for college admissions, it is not the sole determinant of a student’s potential. Encouraging exploration and resilience in the face of challenges will ultimately benefit students as they prepare for their future endeavors.
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