How Starting Early Makes College Admissions Easier

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The race to college actually begins in middle school.

Young students and their parents should start to plan ahead in the earliest years. At Chicago Academic, we never recommend adding stress to young students or aggressively stretching them past their natural strengths.

We do believe students should maximize their abilities to best position themselves down the road.

From high school honors and AP to middle school foreign language, a 4.0 and/or 5.0 high school GPA scale means more than just earning grades and working hard.

You and your parents can greatly benefit from knowing about these few tips to greatly increase your high school and college admissions GPA.

#1: Take Foreign Language Classes in Middle School

  • Most middle schools offer foreign language classes as electives. Taking two years of language in middle school can count for at least one year of high school credit and it will eliminate one more 4 point graded course.

#2: Take Honors and AP Classes

Honors and AP classes usually academically weigh students on a 5 point scale instead of a 4 point scale.
  • An A can earn a student a 5.0, a B a 4.0, and a C a 3.0. These courses give students a chance to push their overall Grade Point Average above a 4.0.

#3: Go Far in Middle School

    • Taking the most advanced courses in middle school will allow students to enroll in Honors and AP classes in high school.
  • If a middle school, for example, offers geometry as its highest level of mathematics, students should attempt to take geometry before they graduate from middle school.

#4: Take High School Competency Tests Seriously

  • Many high schools give middle schools competency tests to administer to students to determine which high school classes students should be placed in. Students should take such tests seriously so they can be placed in the most advanced courses possible.

#5: Eliminate Non-Academic Electives

    • Elective classes that do not allow a student to earn a 5.0 will bring down a student's overall GPA, even if the student earns all A's.
  • Replacing as many of these courses with academic classes weighted on a 5 point scale would be ideal.

# 6: Take 4.0 Classes Freshman and Senior Year

    • Many colleges and universities only FOCUS on a student's middle two years, sophomore and junior year.
    • The colleges will recalculate a student's admission GPA based on the classes taken during this time period.
  • Taking many 4 point courses during the first and last years of high school, while taking as many 5 point courses during the middle two, can significantly increase your GPA.

These are just some quick tips to help middle school parents and students be confident planning for the college admission gauntlet.

Chicago Academic is dedicated to making sure you're confident in how well you spend your time in middle school and high school.

Planning for college can be difficult...

Have Chicago Academic help you plan your future

Do you want to know more ways to increase your GPA?

Contact Us:  773-466-0101  

Topics: college admissions, High school grades, Higher gpa, middle school grades, college planning

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