Freshman Grades

[Hopeful2025]

Does USNA look at freshman grades? I know some colleges do while others do not. If they do, do they hold it the same weight as they do your junior grades? For example, if you have a C freshman year, does it still impact you the same amount as if you had a C junior year?

 

[THParent]

They use your first six (6) semesters of High School, which includes your entire Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years.

 

[MidCakePa]

A C in a freshman class is not as damaging as a C in a junior class. The SAs like to see upward trajectory, if not a straight-line all-A record.

 

[Sandydesert]

Be prepared to explain to your BG officer exactly why and how you got that C, what you learned from it, and what you could/should/would have done differently if you could go back to that class in time.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

A C in a freshman class is not as damaging as a C in a junior class.

It all goes into your GPA with the same weight, but if you overcame that grade and finished strong, I would agree that it wouldn't be as damaging ast a C in Pre-calc your junior year. However, this is a competition...if one candidate has a C freshman year, and the other doesn't...who is going to win? (Of course, assuming all other factors are equal...which is really near impossible)

 

[OldRetSWO]

Be prepared to explain to your BG officer exactly why and how you got that C, what you learned from it, and what you could/should/would have done differently if you could go back to that class in time.

The BGO would not normally see the transcript. The only transcripts I've seen are when I do Senatorial/Congressional Interviews and in those cases they are NEVER on candidates that I am the BGO for.

In general, the BGO interview is to look at things that the Academy Admissions team can't see from the documents that are submitted. They have the actual transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, etc but they can't tell how a candidate studies and how they prioritize activities. They can see if a candidate was a team captain or an Eagle Scout but they can't see what the Team Captain is DOING as captain or what the Eagle Project was, how they did it, etc.
Those are the types of things that the BGO is likely to see as opposed to a C during Freshman Year.

 

[Sandydesert]

The BGO would not normally see the transcript. The only transcripts I've seen are when I do Senatorial/Congressional Interviews and in those cases they are NEVER on candidates that I am the BGO for.

In general, the BGO interview is to look at things that the Academy Admissions team can't see from the documents that are submitted. They have the actual transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, etc but they can't tell how a candidate studies and how they prioritize activities. They can see if a candidate was a team captain or an Eagle Scout but they can't see what the Team Captain is DOING as captain or what the Eagle Project was, how they did it, etc.
Those are the types of things that the BGO is likely to see as opposed to a C during Freshman Year.

Thank you for the explanation. When DS applied 4 years ago, his BGO had a copy of his transcript that DS had been asked to provide to the BGO. I just supposed that that was SOP for all candidates. DS was very impressed by the BGO, from what DS said afterwards about the interview.