Now that first quarter grades have been released, we are receiving a ton of questions from seniors who want to know if they should be sending those grades to colleges - and if so, how do they do it?
We decided to share our post from last fall on this topic to provide some insight! Keep reading to learn more about whether you should send grades, how to follow up with colleges, and what a sample email would say!
We are so excited to be DONE with submitting all of our early applications! But as our clients know by now, the work does not stop when you click “submit!” Not only is the post-submission portal tracking extremely important, as we have mentioned before, but some students may also want to consider sending follow-up communication to the various admissions representatives to share first quarter grade updates.
Let me start by mentioning that this is not a one-size fits all approach. Some schools specifically indicate that they do not want follow-up emails with grades.
If that’s the case, don’t send them! While schools that track demonstrated interest are generally the ones to whom these emails should be directed, it’s important to note that there’s a fine line between an enthusiastic update and over-the-top bombarding.
We do not recommend sending repeated emails. Down the line in a deferral or waitlist situation, depending on the school - possibly. But definitely not at this point in the admissions cycle. You do not want to annoy anyone, and repeated emails will be annoying - no two ways about it.
With that warning out of the way, we suggest that if you do have new grades to report that reflect positively on your candidacy, you take the initiative to reach out to the admissions office and let your assigned admissions officer know.
A handful of high schools will send out first-quarter grades as a matter of course, but most will not do so unless asked - especially this year, when school counselors are already overburdened. So if you believe your first-quarter grades will improve your application, it is up to you to take on the responsibility of sharing them with the admissions office!
One more note of caution: while I would not recommend proactively sharing poor first-quarter grades (or even ones that are relatively strong, but do show a downwards trend), it’s also important to recognize that it’s not necessarily possible to hide them, either.
I think that many applicants believe that admissions offices are too busy to follow up on particular aspects of a single application - but this is not necessarily the case! For a student who has had a shaky math score in 11th grade, the admissions officer is definitely going to want to see how that student is doing in math at the beginning of 12th grade.
So, now that you know why to send a post-submission email, here’s how:
If you can, address your email to your regional admissions officer. At many schools, you can find this information on the website with just a bit of research. Your email is more likely to be read by the right person if you address it directly. You can also ask your school counselor if you’re not sure.
Identify yourself by name and indicate that you have applied to the school already.
Show that you have done your homework. This is a place to address any questions that you have that were not answered by the school’s website. You can also ask if the representative is planning a virtual visit to your school this semester, or reference a previous visit if you have met them before.
Report your grades. Tell the admissions officer that you want to update your application with your first-quarter grades, and provide them in a clear way that is easy to read.
Close your email by thanking the admissions officer for their time and reiterating your interest in attending their school. If this is your top-choice school, make sure to let them know!
