<p>ParentofIvyHope, I was just saying that if you think of someone who everyone regarded as "brilliant" (I just used Einstein as an easy example), if that someone didn't turn in homework, they wouldn't do well in high school/have a high GPA. At middle school, they had a program for the parents in the G/T classes and distinguished between "gifted" and "honors students" ...not the same but not mutually exclusive either. I know that I personally was "great at school" (knew exactly what the teachers wanted and gave it to them), yet I never had an original thought in my head. The guy that we all knew was the smartest guy in our class was not at the top of the class...if he didn't love the work, he didn't put much effort into it.</p>
<p>My kids' school has had a frustrating constellation of policies which works against students in the AP area. Most of the hard core ones - math and science - can't be taken without completing a lower level class in the same subject with a satisfactory grade - pushing the AP's into the Junior and Senior years. Then, classes are added and canceled over the summer without notice, after a student's schedule has already been planned. Many of the AP classes are scheduled for the same two periods of the day, for some reason, even further limiting the opportunity to take them. My son really wanted to take AP physics, but they canceled it on him; they added it back this year but my daughter can't take it because she put off physics until Senior year so she could complete the class prerequisites to take other AP courses. The end result is that the school advertises about 20 AP classes, but it's virtually impossible to take all of the tough ones - math, science, etc. I'm sure they're allocating their resources in the manner they feel is best, but it is frustrating - and not just in terms of college admissions!</p>
<p>Boy, schools certainly do have different approaches to AP classes! A few years back, our HS made the Newsweek top 100 list. They dropped to the #105-115 range over the next few years. THEN, they started having the G/T 9th graders take AP Human Geography...presto! Back in the top 100. I told the school administrators that they should send each one of those kids a thank you note!</p>
<p>missypie: This is what my analysis is and I'm not on any college admission board so take it with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>There are very few gifted people that can be considered outright brilliant. These people will shine where ever they go and have there education. It is not possible to identify these people from the normal standards as unless they do something brilliant. </p>
<p>So if a student is so called brilliant and has not achieved anything of that sort then it is not possible to identify them. But if a student have represented US in an Olympiad and won the gold medal or have won the first prize at Intel or Siemens. Then these brilliant students can get away without doing homework.</p>
<p>For everyone else which will be > 95% of the students; not being diligent at school will only hurt as it is not possible to identify who a brilliant student is.</p>
<p>B in AP > A in standard</p>
<p>B in standard > C in AP</p>
<p>A in AP is what you should strive for if possible. But as a rule of thumb, take the most rigorous courseload in which you can maintain a B+ or better average.</p>