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I finished up my Jr. year with an overall GPA for all 3 years of 3.1. Geometry slaughtered my grade point average and as a result I only got a 3.0 this year.
For the college I want to go to, there are tiered scholarships and most of them start at 3.0, but there are much higher ones available for a 3.2 student. You usually apply in the middle of your Senior year for scholarships. If my GPA bumps up to a 3.2 halfway through Senior year, is there any possible way I can apply for scholarships?
Senior year GPA is usually just a check point. If you fail all your classes, you can lose admission to college.
When is the deadline for the scholarship applications? If the deadline is after fall semester grades are reported, then sure--use the higher grades. You generally have to attach a copy of your transcripts though, so you'll need to go with whatever GPA is on the paperwork.
Yes of course you can still apply for scholarships.
For starters, scholarship application deadlines are typically later than admissions applications so you may be able to send your transcript for the scholarship application with your fall grades on it. And too, many schools hold some scholarship money in reserve, for awarding after late applications and final transcripts are received (not all do this, but many do) which would give you even more time to bring your GPA up.
Second, the scholarship deadline from the school applies only to the scholarships that they award. It doesn't apply to private scholarships that you apply to on your own.
And finally, scholarships aren't only awarded to freshman. If you don't receive any for your freshman year, you can always apply for subsequent years.
Most of the scholarships DS applied for had February deadlines. There were a couple March ones but most were due by the end of February--some were due in December even.
Your overall GPA is what they will take into consideration. If the deadline works out after your first semester grading period and your GPA on there is over a 3.2 you will be ok. Is there an option to retake Geometry to get a better grade? Around here Geometry is taken by freshman and sophomores. Will you have enough higher level math on your transcript to get into college?
If you need to boost your GPA up before the end of fall semester of your senior year, you could consider taking a course or two in the summer. I guess it depends on your school, but I know that in one of the school districts my kids attended, almost all the high school kids did at least one summer session during their high school career. They did this not because they had failed something, but because the graduation course requirments were pretty high (if you were on the college track anyway), and if they wanted to have time to do any of the extras in school, like newpaper staff, band, athletics, etc during all four years of school, they almost had to take a course or two during the summer. Often they did things like health or PE, but also, courses like World Geography were popular summer courses.
If you need to boost your GPA up before the end of fall semester of your senior year, you could consider taking a course or two in the summer. I guess it depends on your school, but I know that in one of the school districts my kids attended, almost all the high school kids did at least one summer session during their high school career. They did this not because they had failed something, but because the graduation course requirments were pretty high (if you were on the college track anyway), and if they wanted to have time to do any of the extras in school, like newpaper staff, band, athletics, etc during all four years of school, they almost had to take a course or two during the summer. Often they did things like health or PE, but also, courses like World Geography were popular summer courses.
Aren't these after school activities for your school? These wouldn't effect taking classes at our school.
Aren't these after school activities for your school? These wouldn't effect taking classes at our school.
In our school yearbook and band are elective classes and grades are given. One of the biggest problems our band director has is that students have to choose between band and an exploratory elective in the very limited openings allowed. My son ended up dropping band so he could take a computer programming class.
Back to the OP's question. Your financial aid may well take into account your 3 years plus first semester of senior year GPA but when you are doing your applications don't count on it. Make sure that you have financial safeties as well as academic ones when you apply to colleges. You don't want to count on grades that you may not make.
Aren't these after school activities for your school? These wouldn't effect taking classes at our school.
All of these kinds of things count for grade credit. While there are things like band or football practice before or after school, they actually have class time during the day and it all counts for a grade. Band counts as a PE credit during marching season, and a fine arts credit during concert season. Not sure about the district I currently live in, but in the district we were in during the first year or two of my kids high school time, newspaper staff was part of a journalism class. You had to take a year of Journalism before you could even be considered for the paper staff, then once you were on the staff, you had to be enrolled in Journalism II, III, or IV.
All I was suggesting was that as a way to up OP's GPA, maybe a summer course or even an online course might be something to look at.
In our school yearbook and band are elective classes and grades are given. One of the biggest problems our band director has is that students have to choose between band and an exploratory elective in the very limited openings allowed. My son ended up dropping band so he could take a computer programming class.
Back to the OP's question. Your financial aid may well take into account your 3 years plus first semester of senior year GPA but when you are doing your applications don't count on it. Make sure that you have financial safeties as well as academic ones when you apply to colleges. You don't want to count on grades that you may not make.
Quote:
Originally Posted by debzkidz
All of these kinds of things count for grade credit. While there are things like band or football practice before or after school, they actually have class time during the day and it all counts for a grade. Band counts as a PE credit during marching season, and a fine arts credit during concert season. Not sure about the district I currently live in, but in the district we were in during the first year or two of my kids high school time, newspaper staff was part of a journalism class. You had to take a year of Journalism before you could even be considered for the paper staff, then once you were on the staff, you had to be enrolled in Journalism II, III, or IV.
All I was suggesting was that as a way to up OP's GPA, maybe a summer course or even an online course might be something to look at.
Athletics count for credit in your high school??? I can see them counting for a PE credit, and I am glad they count your marching band as a PE credit too but that would free up time in our school. In our school athletics and all other extra-curriculars are after school and don't count for credit--nor do they practice during school. Band is a during school class and does count for credit, marching band meets during the fall trimester and is the kids' band class that trimester but most of their practices take place in the summer and in the evenings after school (for a national caliber band I might add).
Our kids have zero problems fitting in all their required classes AND taking a lot of electives, at least junior and senior year (freshman and sophomore years there is only room for 2 electives). Our district requires 4 years of Language Arts, 4 years of Social Science (including specific required classes like Economics), 3 years of math, 3 years of science, 2 years of a foreign language, 1 year of an "arts" (choir, band, drawing art, dance, etc fullfil those credits), 1 trimester of a "life skills" class (cooking, sewing, etc.) and 2 1/2 years of PE (one trimester of this is drivers education/first aid/CPR combined). We have 7 periods/day and kids almost never take a study hall (in fact you have to have special permission to take a study hall--most kids in spring sports take a 7th hour study hall so they don't miss as much school for games, etc., for example).
My kids attended high school in both Texas (Houston area) and in suburban OKC. Yes, in both places band and athletics counted as graded credit courses. Can't speak much about athletics because our particiaption in that was limited. And because you are required by the states to have PE credits for graduation, you have to have it as a daily credited course. Band, for example, in our school here in OKC, has marching practice before school in the morning, then band class, as their first class each day, so that band practice just continues through the first hour of school, then practice some afternoons after school or in the evening, as well as during the summer.
But, all of this has nothing to do with the OP's question, so I will stop now.
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