<p>Are As and A<em>s seen as different grades in the US? As in do they actually make a difference to your application? Cos I've heard in the US they are seen as the same thing. Please help? I mean like would 4A's be a huge disadvantage compared to 4 A</em>s? I'm planning on applying as a sophomore transfer student so I wanna know if A* will make a huge difference from an A. Thanks!</p>
<p>Nobody here has worked in an admissions office. In other words: we don’t know what admissions officers think about A’s vs A*'s.</p>
<p>What I can tell you is this: Your college grades will be weighed much more heavily than your high school grades or A-level results. (Please note that American colleges normally want to see your high school grades in addition to your A-level results.)</p>
<p>Hmmm… can you explain what A* is?</p>
<p>It’s essentially an A+. (Awarded for an overall grade of A on the AS+A2 exams, with A+ performance on the A2 exam.)</p>
<p>I asked this exact question to some admission counselors in a college fair, and all of them replied that they don’t differentiate between A* and A in A levels. </p>
<p>Also, for international students, the A level results are sometimes more important than high school scores. I talked with admission counselors from Tufts and Colgate, and both said that they place more emphasis on A level grades. This is because some schools, such as mine, use school exams as a preparatory test for the actual A level exam. Hence questions are much harder and grading quite harsh, and is often not a true reflection of a student’s abilities. Try and include an explanation from your counselor about what your school’s exam policies are…</p>