<p>Although I think I can pick it up during second semester, my grades took a very slight dip at the start of junior year:</p>
<p>math: A-
U.S. Hist: A-
English: A
AP French: A
politics elective: A
Band: A+
Gym: A- (attendance)</p>
<p>I think that an A is generally considered an A regardless… I know the transcript my school sends does not list a number or +/-, it simply says A, whether the A is the lowest possible A or over a 100, so I can’t imagine that the “type” of A it is would be really considered, since some schools, like mine, don’t even note the “type” of A. A 4.0 made of low As is still a 4.0. I don’t think I would sweat it at all… I mean /really./</p>
<p>You have no chance. There are too many blind Native American orphans with higher GPA’s than yours for you to be considered. Seriously? An A- in math? Do you have some kind of neurodegenerative disease?</p>
<p>The grades are fine, but what’s up with the courseload?</p>
<p>Just one AP class? The grades are pretty close to immaculate, but the courseload… Are you challenging yourself?</p>
<p>That courseload is WEAK!</p>
<p>The grades are good. Does your school not offer many AP courses?</p>
<p>We can’t take electives until senior year b/c we have to finish our high school requirements in junior year. Non-AP electives are harder than AP classes in my school.</p>
<p>How exactly does that work? I fear that come crunch time, you’ll have to explain the conspicuous lack of “hard” (adcoms think hard = ap classes) courses in the entirety of your hs career. Sign up for some APs next year.</p>
<p>Joonbug, you can’t definitively say that. The regional adcom knows op’s school. Many schools are de-emphasizing the AP curriculum, because they know it has been commercialized and simplified. And really, were your AP courses at all comparable with college courses?</p>
<p>I have the same question. I’m a junior, and my grades are okay this year, just not great. What do you guys think? AP Music theory-93. Honors History-98. AP Calculus-90. AP English-94. Honors Chem-97. Are there lots of people taking really hard classes and getting all A+'s out there?</p>
<p>People from non-AP or other schools: Don’t worry. I didn’t take any APs, just standard (not always super-challenging) Ontario curriculum classes, and still got in.</p>
<p>@imntwo: I wasn’t that aware that AP was getting so decentralized. Unless it’s the general opinion of the high school (that APs are easier), I doubt that the regional officer would know that electives are in fact more difficult. So an explanation still would be helpful, I think.
I don’t disagree with your opinion, but I don’t think either of us know the situation of this person as well as we’d like do make definitive judgements. That’s all.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Harvard gets a “school profile” from each applicant as well as a guidance counselor recommendation. Ideally this issue should be cleared up in one or both of them.</p>
<p>GPA is pointless without context. Those grades can be considered low for one high school but high for another with a different grading standard. A- means different things at a top, competitive private verses a failing inner city high school.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the weak courseload. The more important question is, have there been people accepted to Harvard from your school in the past, and are you the top student from the area? How are your SATII scores, etc. As a current student, I only took one AP by the end of junior year. Not only was that the toughest courseload, I was probably the person taking the most number of classes at the school in years. I love how some people are surprised that there are high schools not offering those AP classes that everyone takes for granted.</p>
<p>If you think the Harvard admission office won’t be familiar with your school, ask the guidance counselor to drop a note explaining how the course selection process works so that you won’t be penalized for not being able to take AP courses. As long as your SATII scores are high and you find challenges in other ways, there is nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>I guess “decentralized” is the wrong word. But I fail to comprehend how the curriculum is shaped so that electives are deliberately harder than APs. I mean, is the school so advanced that AP is positively easy? Is the OP a whiz at APs? Or did I misread the situation? I don’t mean to post maliciously; someone please enlighten me. :)</p>
<p>JoonBug, for example, look at Exeter’s math curriculum. Honors courses there are a lot more difficult than AP Calculus. AP Calculus basically requires comfort with a plug and chug approach to calculus, while Exeter’s courses require a deeper understanding of the underlying mathematics. Much deeper. Now some schools “AP Calculus” go far beyond the mathematics required for the AP, but that is besides the point. I’m only talking about what is required to do well on an AP exam, and it’s a lot less than what would be required in a college course at a top university.</p>