What year in high school is the most critical?

Junior year according to my experience along with past friends who got their act together during that year. Class of 2006. Further more the work load of junior year is more of a simulation of your work ethic, chances are in senior year you’ll have cheesy elective courses, or home periods. On the other hand colleges look at senior year to see someone who didn’t do so hot in junior year and see how they made up for it senior year. Bottom line, want to get into a good university these days? Show them you’re dedicated to the education system and can be a hard worker in society. Be involved with as many activities, clubs, sports as you can. Volunteer! Look up how writing scholarships work. Just read everything you possibly can about the college you are looking at via website. If there was one thing I could change in my past. It would have been to at least turn in my homework. I wasn’t a dumb kid, but I was rebellious and immature. Keep that G.P.A. shining in the 3.3’s and up and I think you’ll be ok! Good luck!

When I applied to college my grades were pretty consistent. What the colleges looked at were my extra ciricular activities. Sports, offices held, charities, etc.

I think all of them are important, of course, because they all contribute to your overall GPA. The GPA is important and one slack senior year can ruin it. Junior year, like @_Whitetigress said, is pretty important because it’s around that time that you really start thinking about colleges.

And yeah, extracurriculars help a lot and some people say they’re necessary. I graduated with a 4.1 GPA (thanks to honors/AP courses) and had next to no extra-curriculars or volunteer work and I got into my college of choice – a state university, not a community college.

I’d suggest that you look into colleges you’re interested in and see what they’re requirements are. Then you’ll know what you need to work on.

Colleges look for students who like to learn, to study and to…well…be students. That means you enjoy your time in the classroom and don’t rank one year over another. Why fritter away a senior year because it bmight possibly count less? Who benefits from that?

(their requirements are.)

Junior year is most important. That’s the latest data they have for accepting you. They accept you in the middle of senior year, so your performance in senior year really doesn’t get taken into account.

Still, your senior year is important to you.