The Nov. 1 deadline for many colleges and universities is right around the corner, and the stress of submitting first quarter grades or a mid-year report is beginning to increase, taking a toll on students. Many colleges and universities require students to submit their senior grades as a way to ensure that seniors are keeping up with their work and continuing to put in their best effort. 

With college acceptance rates decreasing, providing strong grades in the first quarter of senior year is a crucial factor in one being admitted to school. 

Grace Fuori ’23 is applying to schools both as early action and regular decision. Most of her schools will require her to send in a mid-year transcript, which will provide grades for both first and second quarter. 

“It’s stressful deciding whether I should drop one of my classes,” Fuori said. “I don’t want one bad grade to be a deciding factor whether I get into a school or not.” 

If a student does not drop a class by the intended deadline, universities have the ability to see a dropped class on the transcript, which is another stressful factor. Students have to put into perspective if it is worth it to send a mediocre grade in a higher level class to schools or to receive an A in a regular level class. 

Some students, like Sophie Spheeris ’23, feel as if her first quarter grades are not representative of the hard-working student that she is. 

“I feel like it’s too much pressure so early on in the year,” Spheeris said. “My grades get a lot better as the year goes on and I don’t think my first quarter grades truly reflect me as a student.” 

Especially after summer break, it can be hard for some to get back into a school routine and produce top-notch grades. As the school year goes on, Spheeris believes that she receives better grades with time.

“I think my grades are definitely better towards the middle to end of the year,” Fuori said. “But I’ve had to switch my gears and make sure that my grades first semester are similar to the ones I get second semester.”