Fall Semester Grade Reporting

[Dr. Old Bill]

Hey folks,

 

So I figured there would have been a thread on this, but since there's not...

 

Is there a standard for reporting fall semester grades to programs after application? I know a couple of the places I applied to had a post-application section specifically for uploading fall semester grades (I know Princeton says it is "optional"), but when my grades are finally available in mid-to-late December, should I make a point of sending them to the various graduate admins / assistants at each program? Or is it normal for programs to make their decisions based on the first three years of undergrad?

[mikers86]

I honestly can't recall when applying to MA programs what I did. I'm thinking that since application deadlines were into the second semester, it wasn't an issue. For the PhD round, I'm fairly certain I only submitted the first year and summer courses of my MA. Then again, all I had was a 6 credit pedagogy course that Fall. My guess is it's dependent upon deadlines and what will ultimately show up on your transcripts. They all ask for copies of your final transcript upon completing your degree, but unless they specifically request you submit grades from this semester, their decision is based on the first 3 years. When in doubt, email department assistants.

[toasterazzi]

I was in the second year of my MA when I applied to PhD programs, and none of the ones I applied to requested that I send them updated grades during the application process. The only updated info I had to send was my final transcript after graduation.

Edited October 8, 2014 by toasterazzi

[jhefflol]

I realized this yesterday, too. My MA is from the same university as my BA so I didn't even have to send transcripts with my application. Its a shame really that my grades this semester won't be a factor in the admission process because I'm doing really well in my classes. PhD applications were a huge motivating factor to do well so far, and now I don't have to worry about that. Oh well.

Edited October 9, 2014 by jhefflol

[ProfLorax]

A few things to consider: given that most applicants will also have stellar grades, one semester of good grades won't get you into a program. That being said, if you feel like the work you are doing this semester is truly phenomenal, maybe have one of your letter writers touch upon what you're working on this semester. Or heck, you can bring it up yourself in your SoP: "This semester, I working on a paper on blah blah blah, which I hope to expand into a larger project on blah blah blah."

[Dr. Old Bill]

That's an interesting (and helpful!) point, Proflorax.

[TeaOverCoffee]

So we do just send the first three years of undergrad, right? Because a majority of my applications are due in the beginning of December, so there is no way for me to send my transcripts unless it's after the deadline. Should I just send my first three years, then send my first semester of my senior year once I receive my grades?

[Dr. Old Bill]

Apologies for bumping up this old thread, but even with the great advice above, I'm still torn on the question of whether to send my fall semester grades to the programs that will accept them. My dilemma is this: all five of my courses this semester were English courses, meaning that they are all pertinent to my GPA etc., and will probably (hopefully?) bring my GPA up a bit, even though my GPA is already fairly high. The cause of my dilemma is twofold.I took one course pass/fail this semester -- Intro to Literary Theory -- and as a result it's going to show up as just a "P" on my transcript. I wonder if that will bring up the question of why I took an important course like this pass/fail, when the reality is...well...exactly what would cause the question! Theory is a "weakness" of mine, and while I wanted to get a solid grounding in it, I wasn't at all confident that I'd get a grade in the "A" range. When all is said and done, I probably did get an A or A-, but that's beside the point.

 

My other concern is that I'm right on the cusp of A and A- for a course that is extremely pertinent to my proposed field of study. I wonder if an A- on such a course would hurt my application if the adcomm had it right in front of them. I recognize that there is a sizable element of "splitting hairs" here, but honestly, I'm still really torn about whether to send my fall semester grades or not.

 

I suspect many of you are (or will soon be) in a similar boat...

[hreaðemus]

 

My other concern is that I'm right on the cusp of A and A- for a course that is extremely pertinent to my proposed field of study. I wonder if an A- on such a course would hurt my application if the adcomm had it right in front of them. I recognize that there is a sizable element of "splitting hairs" here, but honestly, I'm still really torn about whether to send my fall semester grades or not.

 

I only have the word of my professor to go on here, but when I was debating whether to take Latin Pass/No Pass earlier this year she said that no one would care if I got an A-. Now, in my case my GPA was (and I hope will continue to be, but Lord knows) a 4.0, so an A- would still have left me with quite a high number, but as long as your overall GPA is pretty good I don't think a single A- will make or break your application. In the end I suspect it REALLY comes down to our writing samples and personal statements - which is scary, but also kind of nice!

[1Q84]

My other concern is that I'm right on the cusp of A and A- for a course that is extremely pertinent to my proposed field of study. I wonder if an A- on such a course would hurt my application if the adcomm had it right in front of them. I recognize that there is a sizable element of "splitting hairs" here, but honestly, I'm still really torn about whether to send my fall semester grades or not.

I've heard varying opinions on this matter. The minority report being that an A- might sometimes even seem better from a well-ranked institution because it shows that the course and the program are rigorous and didn't just "hand grades" to students.

[Dr. Old Bill]

I only have the word of my professor to go on here, but when I was debating whether to take Latin Pass/No Pass earlier this year she said that no one would care if I got an A-. Now, in my case my GPA was (and I hope will continue to be, but Lord knows) a 4.0, so an A- would still have left me with quite a high number, but as long as your overall GPA is pretty good I don't think a single A- will make or break your application. In the end I suspect it REALLY comes down to our writing samples and personal statements - which is scary, but also kind of nice!

 

Thanks, Bat! This is helpful.

 

Yeah, my overall combined GPA prior to this semester is 3.94. The only B on my record was in Greek Archaeology and Art, but in my defense it was truly a class that required "rote" learning -- the entire grade was based on three multiple choice exams, each worth 33.3%, and it was all about identifying what scene was depicted on what pediment of what stoa in what town in what country etc. It was an interesting course, but had I known at the time that I could have taken it pass/fail without penalty, I would have. Everything else on my record is in the "A" range. I suppose that means that an A- won't really hurt me, but then again, I wonder if there's a good reason to send updated grades anyhow...

 

I am glad that much of the decision hinges on the WS and SOP though. I think / hope my writing speaks for itself, after all.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Just replying here to vent my frustration with my independent study. I actually wound up getting an A in the class I was a little worried about, but got an A- for my independent study. The parameters of the study were to write a 20-page paper, and I wound up writing a 27-page paper, which I revised extensively, based on my advisor's recommendations. This morning he sent me an email telling me first of all that I did an excellent job of encompassing so much in 27 pages...then oddly enough goes on to say there was more I could have covered. It's truly a contradiction. He also pointed out a dimension that neither of us explored during our meetings that I could / should have explored. As a result, I got an A-. VERY frustrating. I've sent him back a very polite email, telling him that I could revise further since grades aren't technically due in until January 2nd, so we'll see what he says. I'm not too hopeful, however.

 

What this means is that I will probably not be able to send in my fall grades. I was really hoping I could, but an A- in an independent study is probably enough to raise a few eyebrows. Given the amount of research I put into it, I'm annoyed, but I also have to recognize that there's an element of "them's the breaks" involved. Sigh.

[TakeruK]

I'm not in your field, but just to throw in my two cents:

 

$0.01: As others said, a A- is not going to screw up your GPA. It will still be insanely high after your fall semester. This meant you got 0.33 grade points less than you wanted. Out of ~30 or so courses, a 0.33 difference is about 0.33/30 = about 0.01 difference.

 

$0.02: Consistency is much more impressive than best appearance. Grad school is a marathon, not a sprint. That is, it's much more impressive to see a 3.9+ GPA after 3.5 years instead of a 3.9+ GPA after 3 years. And this part might be field dependent, but the last 2 years are always weighted more. Grad schools usually do not see the final semester until after the decision, so showing that you have almost all As in the years that count (junior and first half of senior) is more impressive than showing almost all As in junior year only.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Thanks, TakerUK. Excellent perspective there. Worth more than $.02, I assure you.

[Between Fields]

If you're applying to programs whose deadlines are after your school's grade reporting date, I don't think it would be a good idea to avoid sending your fall grades. It's reasonable to not send fall grades to schools whose application deadlines are after that date, but trying to hide your A- on applications that haven't been submitted yet would be ill-advised. (And an A- is still an A, for goodness' sake.)

[Dr. Old Bill]

Turns out that only two of the schools I applied to allow for post-application fall semester grade reporting: Yale and Princeton. Rutgers sort of allows for it, basically having an "other" field to upload additional materials. If anyone comes across any others, please be sure to post.

[omensetter]

Columbia explicitly allows it, and Chicago (which seems to use the same application software as Columbia) has the post-submission 'Upload Materials' option. 

[jhefflol]

You should try emailing the graduate school admissions email. I noticed an error in my CV yesterday and just attached a fixed one in an email explaining that I wish for this updated document to be forwarded along with my application. So far, one one school has refused (UMass Amherst).