How imortant is 9th grade GPA?

Question

Well -_- I am currently in 10th grade.....
I got 3.3? gpa overall in 9th grade taking all honors class..... Never opened a book -_- anyways

Currently in 10th grade i am taking world history Ap ....and all other subjects are at the top right now(Honors..)

Next year in 11th grade, i am planning to take 5 or more AP classes to cover the low 9th grade GPA....... Will 9th grade affect my goal of going into top colleges? I mean like...Cal tech MIT...

Answer 1

Your GPA matters for all years, but schools generally look more seriously at your junior and senior years. The competition at institutions like MIT is fierce, so you will need to work your butt off getting a 4.0 the rest of the years, kissing teachers' butts so they write incredible recommendations for you, and becoming heavily involved in extra-curricular activities. If you must choose between work and extra-curricular activities, choose extra-curricular activities -- at least until you are accepted at whatever school you decide to attend. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but it's always a long shot to get into top schools. Even valedictorians have been rejected at Ivy's. You never know exactly what an admissions committee is looking for to diversify their student population (e.g. projected major, state of residence, ethnicity, etc.)

Answer 2

9th grade gpa isn't very important. Colleges put a large emphasis on 10th and especially 11th grade gpa. I know that your 9th grade gpa won't affect getting into the top UCs. I know Cal Tech wouldn't be too bothered with a low 9th grade gpa since they have so many other requirements, such as many extracurriculars such as science olympiad and such as well as ridiculous SAT scores. MIT might have some problem with it since everybody applying to MIT will have almost perfect grades. However, schools like to see improvement so if you get almost perfect grades from now on you will probably be fine. Remember even with good grades, good SAT scores, and all those AP classes you're taking, Cal Tech and MIT are still gonna be tough to get into.

Answer 3

Here's how important it is: I'm 40, I graduated from college, am entering graduate school at a highly regarded program, and I couldn't even tell you what my high school GPA was.

Going into college, be concerned about grades, yes. Be also concerned about your admissions tests (ACS, SAT, etc.) Be concerned about what else you've been doing with your life. It is apparently a growing business of colleges/universities to look into your "extra-curricular" activies: have you been participating in sports? civic organizations? charities? They believe that this will reflect a more well-rounded person who is capable of balancing academic needs with the needs to be a normal person --- and therefore less likely to drop out or burn out with a rigorous academic program.

There are some high schools which don't even offer AP courses (like the one I attended). I would bet that there is some consideration given to where you actually attended h.s.

If you are seriously worried, contact the admissions office of the institutions you are interested in, and ask them what sort of guidelines they have for admission.

Your GPA might also effect scholarship opportunities.

Answer 4

Well yeah, they look at your overall GPA, not your GPA from year to year so much...so it counts for 1/4 of their consideration of your grades. I would think they would take note of improvement, though. Btw, in terms of GPA, it's sometimes best to take the easier classes and get an A than to take harder classes and get less than an A. "I would bet that there is some consideration given to where you actually attended h.s." I disagree, based on personal experiences some of my teachers shared with me.

Answer 5

If you are looking at a school like MIT, your GPA needs to be up there...WAY up there. A 3.3 is not going to cut it. My advice would be to study your a$$ off to improve your GPA. Keep going and do the best you can. Good luck!

Answer 6

9th grade GPA doesn't mean much. Do well next year...that is what counts....
Generally Grade 11 and 12 are the crucial years.