File Reading, Part V - UGA Undergraduate Admissions

File Reading, Part V - UGA Undergraduate Admissions File Reading, Part V The fifth part of the review is already known to most everyone, but I will go ahead and share it with you. In this section, we are looking at an applicants academic progress over the 3-3.5 years of high school where we have grades, looking at both the overall picture and the grade trends. When we look at a students transcript, we are trying to understand how a student has progressed over their 3+ years in high school. Have they been consistently strong throughout the years, did they start slow and then jump up to all As, did they have a tough time in a specific subject, are all their Bs low or high Bs, etc. We then use this in combination with the other factors impacting their life, from family issues that occurred where we saw a dip in grades to how a student did once they got into a specific AP course. If a student made a D in Geometry in 10th grade, did they bounce back from it or keep on a downward trend. All of these factors help us understand the overall picture that the transcript gives us. Three quick warnings/notes on grades: First, we are only looking at core academic work, not PE, Health, Drivers Ed, etc. While your high school may put these classes into your overall GPA, we are not focusing on these course grades. Second, we focus on grades, not on the GPA or rank that is on your transcript. We are looking at how you have done each term in your academic classes, and so when I talk about this area, I try to talk about actual grades. Third, growth in one term, especially the first semester of your senior year, does not count as a trend. If you have Bs and Cs for three years, then suddenly wake up and start making As, we look at this, but it is not a grade trend, this is a grade spike. A trend is a relatively constant movement, while a spike is a sudden shift. If you have a grade spike (hopefully upwards), I am wondering why you did not make this jump earlier. That is the end of Part V, and I am amazed that I was able to keep it so brief! Go Dawgs!