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Ask the Guru a question.What About Your Grades
I just received my AP exam scores in the mail. I got a 3 in U.S. History but only a 1 in chemistry and physics. I realize that colleges are going to look at all of my scores, but if I did well in the actual class (high A's to mid B's), will the scores be a deciding factor for admission? Would I have been better to have just not taken those two exams, or are colleges going to appreciate the risk, even if the outcome was bad? Also, one specific college I am looking at for early decision only accepts 4's and 5's. Next year, should I only take the exams that I feel confident I can receive those scores in? I don't want to take the exam for every AP class I take if it's actually going to hurt me in the long run!
Colleges will give greater weight to your actual grades in the classes than to your AP scores, at least for admissions purposes. (Course placement is another matter; most colleges won’t give credit for anything below a 3.) Having said that, I would recommend taking only those AP exams you feel confident about in the future. It looks much better to have fewer, higher AP scores than a bunch of lower scores. In a nutshell; Don’t worry about the scores you’ve already received, but take only the exams you feel confident about this coming year.
I'm a sophomore in a highly-ranked public high school. I have always scored in the top percent of all high school students in the nation on standardized tests (including a composite score of 31 on the ACT in 7th grade). I am taking several AP classes (including AP Calculus), and am signed up to take 5 more next year. I am also heavily involved in music, ballet, and volunteer work. However,I have been having a lot of personal problems at home for the past year. In the second half of my freshman year and the first semester of my sophomore year, my grades have dropped from a 3.9 average to a 3.15 average. I'm hoping to ace my junior and senior years, as well as my ACT and SAT, but I'm worried about how my freshman and sophomore grades will affect my college admissions chances. I want to go to a top school, though not necessarily an Ivy League. Any suggestions?
Well, all you can do now is work as hard as you can to improve your grades. If you're successful in doing so, then you could write a letter to the colleges to explain why your grades went down. Assuming it's a plausible reason, and assuming that you're able to increase them back up to where they were, you will have done your best to minimize the damage from your grade decline. And, colleges will appreciate your candor. That would be my approach.
I am a high school sophomore and I'm planning my classes for the last two years of high school, but I'm unsure of what classes to sign up for. Would AP or average level classes be better? Would it look better on my college applications to have possibly lower averages in AP classes or to take regular classes and to have possibly higher averages? Which would colleges look more favorably upon?
It's hard to answer that for sure. It depends on the colleges, your grade point average, SAT scores, etc. The AP courses definitely "look" good. However, my opinion is that I wouldn't take the AP course unless you're confident that (1) you'll get at least a B in the course, and (2) you plan on taking some of the AP exams. I'd also suggest taking something in between AP and regular such as honors courses.
My son has a solid and consistent 3.3 GPA and is in his second semester of his senior year. He has been accepted already at Chico and San Jose State Universites, a small private college in Oregon and Colorado State. Despite a lot of help and effort, he got a D- in his first semester in Pre Calculus. He also got 2 B+'s and 2 C+'s. How much should we worry that these schools will rescind their offer of acceptances?
It depends on the school. Most make their approvals conditioned on satisfactory completion of the student's remaining high school courses and receiving their degree. This may involve not getting below a "C" on certain required courses. In general, it is very rare for a college to rescind its offer; however I advise that you check with the school your son wants to apply to and find out the specific requirements after being admitted.
I believe I heard once that if you receive a certain grade in a AP class college admissions give extra points or boosts the score up? If not, how do they treat them?
Typically, a college gives college credit for AP course exams with a score of 3 or better. The exam part of an AP course is optional, but why take the class if you're not going to take the exam? Each college, though, has their own system for how they treat AP courses. You'll have to find out from the specific college.
Currently I am a senior in high school. I recieved a 29 on my ACT and have had straight mid A's my sophmore to senior year. I'm in numerous honors and AP classes. My concern, my freshmen year of high school I recieved a 1.7 GPA. Compelling story, eh? I am just wondering how much my awful freshmen year will impact my chances of admissions to schools like Columbia, Brown, and other top notch schools or, whether they will notice the dramatic improvement and basically not hold that freshmen year against me. Thanks
It'll count, but you know, it's better to get 1.7 in your freshman year than in your senior year. However, colleges are big into improvement, so I think in some ways, it will help you stand out. If there is a compelling story, tell it in your essay. You also need to apply to some safety schools. Hope for the best but be prepared.
I am a teacher/counselor at a small public magnet school in Ann Arbor, MI. We have just switched over to a three year integrated science curriculum which is replacing earth science, biology, and chemistry. Will this new curriculum hurt our students in admissions? Many fear that if their transcript doesn’t say “chemistry,� they’re doomed.
Well, maybe not doomed. There’s a lesson here for students applying to college, though, which is, “Don’t assume your school’s curriculum is known or understood by each college to which you are applying.” When an alternative curriculum like you’ve described is involved, the student’s responsibility is to take charge of the situation. The student should advise the high school guidance counselor that his or her application is going to certain colleges, and the student should question the counselor about whether the various college admissions offices are going to be familiar with the high school’s unique curriculum. If not, the student needs to ensure that the school contact those colleges to update them about the curriculum. Otherwise, getting passed over is certainly possible.
I’m going to be a junior in High School this year, and I was wondering what colleges look towards more often, the level of the classes, or your grade point average. I’ve been in Honors and G/T classes, but recently had to drop to regular English. My GPA rose quite a bit considering I was barely passing Honors English, but got an “A� in Reg. English.
Basically, I think you have to take the best course that you can get the best grade in. There’s no sense in flunking Honors English. Colleges do consider the quality of the course you took, and more selective colleges, of course, have higher expectations. Many students feel that every course they take has to be an honors class. You might want to cut back on the difficulty of some classes while challenging yourself in others. Some of us are great in English, others in math. Colleges understand that.
I am a student who has a high SAT score (in the top 1%), but a class rank that is barely in the top tenth. I do, however, have other activities to which I am dedicated to such as sports, a job and a club or two. I know that higher end schools consider a low GPA and a high SAT a waste of potential, but would the top school still accept students like myself?
Few students are “perfect” across the board. A high SAT and a ranking in the top 10% might mean you’re simply in school with a lot of smart people. It might also mean that you attend a lousy school where achievement at the high end is not very challenging and so students are bunched together at the top. Unfortunately, most students have no idea how their high school stacks up against others. You could get some idea, though, by asking the guidance office where other students have applied and been accepted (like in prior years). If you’ve got no students going to highly selective colleges, you might conclude that none were able to get in. The other thing is that colleges don’t put much weight on class rank. And high schools hate them.
I go to a private, Catholic high school in Massachusetts. I will be a junior in the fall, and will be taking 2 AP classes. I have always done well in my classes and on standardized tests, but am somewhat anxious as to whether or not I’ll be able to get into the college of my choice. I’m not involved in any sports, but am heavily involved in at least 4 academically oriented extracurricular activities. Will not being on any team hurt my chances of getting in? Will my test scores, grades, and rank be enough?
Test scores, grades, and rank are not enough. Highly selective colleges are looking for well-rounded students with diverse interests. Even your extracurricular activities sound as if they are academically oriented. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean you need to play a sport. Some of us are not sports minded. Being just a junior, though, gives you two years to develop an interest and pursue it. You may also have great qualifications that you are overlooking, too. Do you play a musical instrument well? Have you traveled extensively? I would suggest meeting with your school’s guidance counselor to explore how you can round out your qualification without sports.
The international high school where I attend is considering going to a non graded system of evaluation. This will mean no grades on a transcript. Where can I find out about other schools that use this system and what they do to best inform the colleges about the students?
If your school selects this method of grading, they need to have a plan in place for educating college admissions counselors on how to evaluate prospective applicants from your school. In addition, it is my opinion that a gradeless transcript with serve to accentuate other aspects of your application—for better or worse—including things like standardized test scores, class rank, extracurricular activities, essays, and more. You should feel free to discuss your concerns with your high school guidance office. Absolutely do not let them blow this off with, “Oh colleges know about us.” As for other schools using a similar system, I’d ask for a list. Your school must be making decisions on the basis of some information, and you should know what it is. Once you identify other schools, don’t hesitate to call their guidance office and ask what they do to inform colleges about students—and most important, to what schools their students are successful in gaining admissions. If it’s a weak list, take note.
I am a junior in high school. I have maintained a 4.0 and above until this semester. My GPA has dropped to a 3.5 because of personal problems with studying. I feel that I can substantially raise this average this semester but am concerned that without some explanation to admissions my chances have lessened in applying to specific colleges of my choice. Do you feel that this effort is worthwhile?
Sometimes, explanations come across the wrong way. As a junior, you still have time to improve your GPA, although a 3.5 is nothing to sneeze at. You might be able to make colleges aware of your personal challenges without sounding like you’re crying foul. If you’ve overcome some obstacle in your life, perhaps your essay is a place to describe the challenges you’ve faced and how you dealt with them. I think that is a much more powerful approach than attaching a note to your application saying, “I would have done better if only...”
I am a sophomore in high school and am trying to decide whether I need to take a third year of Spanish. Is 2 years of a foreign language enough to be competitive with most liberal arts colleges? If it matters, I have a 3.0 and 1120 on the PSAT.
Language requirements vary from one school to the next, and often from one program to the next. The only way you’re going to know for sure is to investigate specific opportunities. As an aside, as we become more of a multi-cultural society, the ability to converse in multiple languages is a plus. It will help you, perhaps, more in your career than in your college education. If Spanish is something that you’re doing well in, you might consider another year for reasons beyond college admissions.
I’m a senior, and I’ll be applying to very competitive schools this year and all that jazz. My grades have always been pretty good, like in the nineties, except for my math, which has always been in the eighties or seventies. I’m just really bad at math, and consequently, it has lowered my average every time. Will colleges look at my average and say “we’ll pass,� or will they say “he’s just bad at math�?
Colleges will look at your overall GPA much more so than individual course work averages. The exception, of course, would be that if you were applying to a math-related field, for example, your math grades would be examined more closely. I don’t think you’ve done yourself any favors in applying to “very competitive schools” with a math scores in the eighties and seventies. These schools are simply able to select students who have all the tickets, and unfortunately for you, there are plenty of them to choose from. However, I would encourage you to apply to your top two choice anyway. Beyond that, find schools which specialize in the academic areas in which you excel. Straight “A”s in math this year would help a lot, too. Good luck.
I have heard from more than one person that colleges like applicants to include a photo of themself with the application. Though I have no problem doing this, it sounds a bit strange. So, what’s right?
If colleges ask for it, send it. Otherwise, you risk having an incomplete application and not receiving full consideration. Colleges are well beyond discriminating on the basis of how you look. On the other hand, if they don’t ask for a photo, don’t send one. Sending exactly the material a college application requires is usually the best policy.
Are mid-year reports considered by colleges? I have some mid-year Cs.
Not likely. But it depends on how your particular school cumulates grade point averages. If, like most schools, it is at the completion of a course and based on your final grade, then you’re OK. However, if they are averaging semester grades, then you have a different situation. But this is a factor in your overall GPA. I can’t imagine a high school releasing mid-year grades on specific courses. Go to your school guidance office for a better understand of how your school operates.
Our school district is currently studying AP and wieghted grades. As a parent on the commitee, I am trying to determine the importance of both of these issues as they relate to our students ability to compete with others to get into college. One of our high school counselors stated that weighted grades were not as important as class rank. Is this true? How important are AP classes? Don’t most schools weight AP classes? Any help with these issues would be greatly appreciated.
I was wondering if you could please explain the difference between a weighted and unweighted GPA. What do high schools do to your GPA to weight it? Which is more important to the colleges--your unweighted GPA or your weighted GPA? Thanks.
An unweighted GPA means that a school gives you 4 points for any class in which you make an A (3 for a B, 2 for a C, 1 for a D) regardless of whether it’s an honors, AP class, etc.
A weighted GPA means that your school gives extra points for certain classes (usually advanced, honors/AP/IB classes).
With regard to your last question, colleges will recalculate your GPA so as to level the field between students whose schools calculate GPA’s differently. So you don’t need to worry about which one they pay more attention to. Just worry about earning the best grades possible. Good luck!
Do colleges look at each of your semesters GPA, or your years GPA, or your overall GPA consisting of your freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year? Thanks!
Admissions committees will consider each of these things, but they are usually most interested in your overall grade trends. This means they’re not just interested in your overall GPA but in how you perform from one semester to the next and one year to the next in both individual courses and overall.
That said, it’s important to know that admissions committees typically recalculate your GPA using a formula they come up with. This way they can account for the different ways schools calculate GPA’s and enable themselves to compare different students. Good luck!
I know this is a very broad question, but in general, what do colleges look for? Do they look for your GPA and your ACT/SAT test scores? And do they look at your school exam scores at all?
Admissions committees evaluate applicants primarily using six factors: grades, rigor of curriculum, essays, recommendations, extracurriculars (and leadership in those activities in particular), and SAT/ACT scores. So yes, they do consider your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but these are by no means the only or even the most important factors. Each of these six factors is very important, though it’s impossible to say what percentage each counts.
To the best of my knowledge, they will not look at your school exam scores. Good luck!
I’m a freshman in high school. Do colleges and universities look at your exam grades or just your general grades? Thank you very much.
Typically, admissions committees only consider your overall grades and grade trends. (I don’t even know if your exam grades go on your transcript.)
It’s also worth noting that applications include a space for you to explain any unusual grade trends. If you’re concerned about your exams lowering your semester averages, you may want to use this space to explain these grades. Just make sure you also show admissions committees how you’ve overcome this problem and assure them that similar problems won’t affect your college performance.
Finally, keep in mind that you’re only a freshman. While your grades are important, admissions committees pay more attention to the grades you earn in the latter half of high school than they do to those you earn during your first year or two. They know many students struggle to adapt to high school life and that junior- and senior-year courses are more comparable to college-level courses. Good luck!