What's a 'Mid-Year Report' on the Common App and do I need to send one?

Hey y'all, I came across this 'Mid-Year Report' thing on the Common App checklist and I'm kinda stressed. What is it, and does every college require you send this? How does it fit into the whole application timeline? Would love some guidance so I can make sure I don't miss anything important!

Hello there! The 'Mid-Year Report' might seem a bit confusing, but it's actually a common part of the college application process. Essentially, it's a form that your high school counselor submits to colleges reporting your grades from the first half of your senior year.

Not every college requires a mid-year report, but many do as it helps them see your most recent academic performance, which can certainly play a role in finalizing admission decisions. The reason this report is listed as a separate requirement from your main transcript is because first-semester grades are usually released after the regular decision application deadlines at most schools.

If you have any questions about how exactly your school goes about submitting this information to colleges, ask your guidance counselor directly, as different schools may have slightly different procedures. Also remember that even if some of your colleges don't require this report, maintaining solid grades throughout senior year is still crucial, as they may still ask for an end-of-year report to ensure you completed all your classes at a satisfactory level (this report is similar, but with your full year grades included).

Alternatively, if you'd like to get a sense for how the mid-year report could impact your odds of acceptance at a particular school, I'd check out CollegeVine's free chancing engine, which accounts for all quantifiable elements of your application, including not just grades and course rigor, but also test scores (if you have them), extracurriculars, and so on to give you personalized odds of acceptance at over 1,600 colleges around the country: https://www.collegevine.com/admissions-calculator

You can enter your grades from your mid-year report, as well as those from the courses you completed freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year. The courses on your mid-year report likely won't be weighted exactly the same as those from previous years, as your performance is incomplete, but the chancing engine can still give you a general idea of how you stack up academically against past accepted students, while also factoring in the other elements of your profile.

Keep up the good work, and touch base with your counselor to get all the specifics for your particular situation!