The Most Important Task of Freshman Year: College Applications (2023)

FAQs

What is the most important thing on a college application? ›

Courses and Grades

A student's grades in college-preparatory classes remain the most significant factor in college admission decisions.

Good grades, a challenging high school curriculum, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and a strong essay are a few key factors admissions officers assess. Each university may emphasize different elements of the application process.

Colleges do indeed consider your freshman grades, although maybe not in the way you think. They see your freshman grades holistically, as part of your overall GPA.

Morgenstern advises her students to highlight “7Cs” in their essays and applications: collaboration, commitment, character, curiosity, cultural intelligence, challenge, and creativity. Colleges may look for a different set of character qualities or define these traits in different ways.

Basically, there are six main factors that college admissions officers consider: AP classes and challenging course loads, high school GPAs, SAT and ACT scores (unless they are test-optional), meaningful extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and your personal statement.

Most colleges will ask for the fourth year, but they typically use the grades from the first three years to determine admission. Arguably, the most critical year for grades is the 3rd year, or junior year, because these grades are the most recent and will give colleges the best picture of a student's abilities.

High School GPA and Class Rank

Colleges look not only at your overall GPA but also at how well you did in individual classes. If your school has a class rank, that shows how much competition you faced with grades and performance to reach a particular level.

What makes me stand out from other college applicants? ›

Stand-out applications showcase achievement, merit, and previous academic success. Taking honors classes or AP courses can give you a significant advantage. Most colleges generally prefer applicants with a B in an honors program over those with an A in standard courses because it shows initiative.

Besides grades, colleges look at SAT® and/or ACT® scores, leadership experience, course load difficulty, letters of recommendation, application essays, and more. So, it's important for students to realize that good grades require time and dedication, but so do many other important factors.

You may be surprised to learn that many students fail academically in their first year of college. One-third of freshmen students don't make it to their sophomore year. That's a huge number, and it worries everyone concerned with higher education.

Your first year and sophomore year affect your cumulative GPA, which is important to most colleges. However, a solid academic record in your junior year is likely to carry more importance with an admissions committee.

Freshmen who earn a B average or better have an 80 percent chance of finishing high school with at least a 3.0 GPA. Freshmen with less than a C average are more likely to drop out than graduate. Course grades also are the best predictors of test score gains and college graduation.

Colleges look for three things in your admission essay: a unique perspective, strong writing, and an authentic voice. People in admissions often say that a great essay is one where it feels like the student is right there in the room, talking authentically to the admissions committee!

But all the same, it's not a good idea to ask about the school's party culture or anything related to drugs and alcohol. Questions that make you seem uninterested. Don't ask admissions officers questions that compare them to other schools.

Admissions officers look at “hard factors” (GPA, grades, and test scores) and “soft factors” (essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest) to gain a full picture of applicants.

What are the 5 most important things to consider when choosing a college? ›

Before making your choice, consider these factors: cost, location, size, your interests, campus life, graduation rates, and the potential return on your investment. Once you make your decision, be sure to commit to the college by the deadline.

Most college admissions committees consider your 11th-grade transcript to be the most important. Because students typically apply during senior year, it's the last full year of records colleges will see, although many colleges also ask for a transcript of your first-semester senior year courses.

Trends are important — grade trends, that is. Colleges notice if and how your grades improved (or didn't) over time. If your grades were lower at the beginning of high school and then improved, the upward trend may count in your favor.

Colleges are looking for leaders who are compassionate and caring about others. They want innovators who are passionate about their pursuits and willing to take risks. So, what do admissions officers look for? They want students who have clear goals and can demonstrate that they can achieve them.

Canadian Universities emphasize GPA more than many countries because they don't even consider any common exams like GRE. There are very few universities that recommend GRE but no university requires it as such. So, if you want to get into some of the top universities your GPA must be competitive.

Admissions officers sort applicants by region first, and then often subdivide within regions by other factors, which can include race, gender, intended major, or smaller geographic areas. Thus you are compared to other applicants from your high school, but not directly.

The hardest undergraduate programs to get into in Canada include the Bachelor of Commerce at University of British Columbia, Mechanical Engineering at McGill University, Smith Bachelor of Commerce at Queen's University, Engineering Sciences at the University of Toronto and the McMaster University Bachelor of Health ...

Show that you have skills and experience to do the job and deliver great results. You never know what other candidates offer to the company. But you know you: emphasize your key skills, strengths, talents, work experience, and professional achievements that are fundamental to getting great things done on this position.

Why would I choose you over other applicants? ›

Your skills and qualifications. If you can prove that you've got all the skills that the company is looking for in a candidate, you'll have effectively answered the question. Your passion and motivation. You can highlight how good of a company fit you'd be and how much you love working in your field or industry.

Athletic Participation

Playing team sports, such as football or basketball, also lets colleges know that you've been able to function as part of a team. Athletic participation generally takes up quite a bit of time and requires significant effort to develop skills.

Yes, colleges can look at the public version of your social media accounts, but they don't have some sort of secret, government-like power to access your private information. It's much more likely that your social media behavior would only be brought to their attention if it causes a stir.

Which two questions are colleges trying to answer by looking at your transcript? Did you take challenging courses? Were you involved in clubs and/or sports?

Many universities will calculate your admission average based on your cumulative Grade 12 U/M results. Usually, this will include the top six 4 U/M courses or similar. When your Grade 12 U/M grades are incomplete or unavailable, universities can consider your Grade 11 U/M grades for early entry offers.

Your first year and sophomore year affect your cumulative GPA, which is important to most colleges. However, a solid academic record in your junior year is likely to carry more importance with an admissions committee.

That said, GPA is arguably the single most important factor in your college application process, so knowing where yours stands is imperative to figuring out your chances at different schools. Even if you have fantastic standardized test scores, a lower GPA can sink your application.

You will be asked to list basic information about yourself, your school, and your family, as well as your GPA, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and any awards you earned in high school. Some schools may ask you to submit a high school resume.

Colleges look for three things in your admission essay: a unique perspective, strong writing, and an authentic voice. People in admissions often say that a great essay is one where it feels like the student is right there in the room, talking authentically to the admissions committee!

Do colleges accept D grades? ›

A grade of D (including plus/minus) in a transferable course will count toward the number of transferable units you have completed. However, you must earn a grade of C or better when completing the seven-course pattern. And, in most cases, grades of D do not satisfy major or general education requirements.

If you indicate that your parents or siblings attended college, you'll be asked to identify the schools. This is the information that colleges will use to identify your legacy status.

GPA: Are my freshman year grades important? One's freshman year grades are important, but not in the way that one might expect. Colleges are generally more forgiving of low grades received in one's freshman year. So, although colleges look at freshman year grades, it is from a more “holistic” viewpoint.

Last year, the reported average GPA of an admitted high school student at Harvard was a 4.04 out of 4.0, what we call a “weighted” GPA. However, unweighted GPAs are not very useful, because high schools weight GPAs differently. In truth, you need close to a 4.0 unweighted GPA to get into Harvard.

Average College GPA by Major

When broken down by major, students in general studies and other had the highest GPAs. Students in the sciences, education, social sciences, and humanities had the lowest GPAs with 2.7.

Measuring up in the admissions game calls for early preparation and plenty of research. Though there is often prep work, students generally begin filling out college applications the summer between their junior and senior years of high school, experts say.