<p>i know this has most likely been asked before but, what do colleges perfer?</p>
<p>I know that if you ask admission officers at top schools, they'll typically say "An A in honors."</p>
<p>Here's my idea with it:</p>
<p>It depends on the school. Check for how important "Rigor of courses" and "GPA" is. If rigor is more important, they'd like the Honors. If GPA is more important, then go for the A. (If the school likes them equally, then you're in trouble).</p>
<p>I had a high school counselor tell me once that research shows that students who get 'A's in regular classes do better in college than those who get B's in honors classes. It's because the students who get 'A's in regular classes come into college with the mindset that they'll get 'A's. Same reason colleges unweight GPAs. Certainly, if you think you can get the 'A' in the class, take it and work for the 'A', but if you genuinely think the best you can manage is a 'B' in the class, take a regular class in that subject and get your advanced classes in another. </p>
<p>I think this is pretty accurate (source: greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=123):
[quote]
Most colleges will use the unweighted GPA as the best reflection of your high school performance. As they say, “an A is an A.” A B in an Advanced Placement course does not mean that you somehow really got an A in that course…you still did B work, according to your teacher. So while the weighted GPA will reflect the relative rigor of your high school coursework, the unweighted GPA reflects your actual performance in those courses.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow,...this is the complete opposite of what my D was told when she entered high school....very interesting......</p>
<p>I was confronted with this problem last year when it came to course selection and I think I made the right decision. I had to make the choice whether or not to go into Pre-calculus honors which would then lead to AP calc, or if I should go into regular pre-calc which would lead lead to regular calc. Because I want to go into foreign policy and international relations, and math isn't that important to me, I chose regular precalc. Now, I have a 4.0 gpa my junior year, and I think that I will be able to show that I am proficient enough at math for my intended major. Its a pretty personal choice though I think.</p>
<p>"As they say, “an A is an A.” A B in an Advanced Placement course does not mean that you somehow really got an A in that course…you still did B work, according to your teacher."</p>
<p>This is bull. Not only do AP and honors classes have a harder course load and material, but the teachers also expect more of you, meaning that they grade more harshly. So getting a B in AP English is just as good, if not better than an A in normal English because the teacher is grading you at a higher level. Besides, a lot of regular classes are very, very easy. I dare say that some of them are even "jokes" and it takes little effort to get A's in a lot of them. So, go for the B in an AP class. It's not as if a B is a bad grade anyway. A B shows you're doing really well in that class, although not the best.</p>
<p>Colleges prefer an A in an A course.</p>
<p>A in an honors class? Crap, that was not a choice...I will just omit it rather than risk losing 1/4 a point.</p>