So I’ve been searching around about this for a while now and I have come up with no results. So my question is, will me being in advanced courses, I’m a Junior taking Senior level classes, not honors or an AP course, but a course that would be on level for a Senior student. Will that affect my chances of going into college up or down if I average a B in the class since it is not on a level with my grade, Junior? (Juniors would normally be taking Algebra II and seniors take pre-calc).
That you are taking a non-honors course in junior year rather than senior is likely not going to be considered a plus factor. When difficulty of schedule is considered, honors and AP courses add some favorability but not simply taking a class earlier than senior year, and, particularly for math, you should understand that large numbers who apply to selective colleges take pre-calc before senior year, very often honors, and an AP math course senior year, so taking non-honors pre-calc junior year is unlikely to be considered special.
A lot will depend on the types of colleges to which you are applying. There isn’t enough information to say one way or the other.
In DD’s high school, close to 40% of the freshmen start in Geometry. Not all of them are in Honors Geometry, however, but it likely means that students on that track will finish a year of calculus in high school. Strong math grades make for a respectable STEM application, but with so many kids on that track, that’s about the extent of any perceived “boost”.
The A vs. B is a separate issue. A couple of Bs won’t hurt your chances of getting in anywhere, even at the tippy tops. However, colleges aren’t viewing it as an a trade-off for taking higher level classes either. They’ll take for granted you were placed in an appropriate level to begin with, and your performance is what it is.
Your math course won’t be considered an advantage, nor the B a notable disadvantage. I’m
It also depends on what you do with the “extra” year at the end. If you use it to escape math a year early then it’s a waste, but if you go on to more, higher math than most kids get a chance to attempt then that’s your payoff.
The person to ask is your guidance counselor, not any one of us. Rigor is relative to what is offered in your HS. The top tier colleges will want to see the guidance counselor check the box on the recommendation saying you have taken the most rigorous course-load available at your HS (which doesn’t mean taking every AP class – there is often some latitude in this). If the guidance counselor says that your prior and current HS schedules are sufficient to get that most rigorous box checked then you are fine.