How important are freshmen year grades?
That depends. At the UC’s and CSU’s, freshman grades don’t count towards the cumulative grade point average, but they are considered. At many highly selective colleges, they matter a lot. When admission offices are forced to choose 10- 20 students from 100 candidates, they must take into account the freshmen record. Whenever a high school transcript is sent, all grades (from ninth grade onward) are shown. Students need to know it is important to do their best right from the start, but improvement over time can also be compelling. Freshman year is also a good time to take risks, find new interests and get used to being challenged.
