During my freshman year of high school I got 3 B’s first semester in Honors Bio, AP Human Geo, and Honors Algebra 2 with Trig. Second semester I got only one B which was in honors math again. Right now I’m in my sophomore year and only got one B first semester which was in honors pre-calc and I’m predicting the same this semester.
I’m two years ahead in math and my course load has been all honors and AP classes. Next year I will be taking all AP classes with the exception of honors engineering. This includes AP physics 1 and AP calculus (hopefully BC I still have to pass my school’s entrance exam for that). I am hoping to finish high school with all A’s junior and senior year as well as all 4’s/5’s on my AP exams (I took one last year and got a 5 and am taking another one this year).
I am worried that my B’s will hurt my chances at MIT. Should I consider going for a less selective school like CalTech or is do I still have a shot at MIT?
“Should I consider going for a less selective school like CalTech or is do I still have a shot at MIT?”
That’s sort of like saying shall I buy a Maserati or go for a less expensive car like a Bentley.
I don’t really see a point in speculating about the grades/stats you’ll end high school with; so many things can change in those few years. MIT sees a lot of qualified applicants and can’t offer admission to all of them. You’ll be competing against these same qualified applicants, so I do think that your 5 Bs will be a hit, especially considering that 3 of them are in math. However, I wouldn’t let this put you off from applying–just try to develop your SAT/ACT score, extracurriculars, and essays.
MIT posts a considerable amount of information about their admissions process. I don’t think the difference between those students who are admitted to MIT (or CalTech) and those not admitted are a couple of B’s.
Yes , the Bs will hurt. There are plenty of applicants to those schools with straight As.
I think you need to back up and get a grip on reality:
=> MIT’s admission rate is 6.7%; CalTech’s is 6.6%. Hardly “less selective”
=> you may be “2 years ahead in math” by your schools standards (which, to be fair, are the context in which your application will be evaluated by colleges), but by most of the schools with which I am familiar, you are 1 year ‘ahead’ and by the standard of the strong math students that I know you are at a typical level.
Is MIT out b/c you will have Bs in math for the 1st 2 years of HS? noooo…but it is something that they may well notice. Can you morph from a B math student into an A math student between this year and next? yessss…but unless you know of some objective factor that is likely to change, I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Based on your post, I’m guessing that you haven’t been taking your studies lightly so far, so just ‘working harder’ probably isn’t relevant.
You are unlikely to like this advice, but given that you are asking this question as we come down to the wire on this years admissions cycle, please try and hear this. This year’s cycle was brutal. Both with students I know directly and with students we have followed on CC, astonishing numbers of students didn’t get into match schools, never mind ‘reach’ schools. I have been following admissions cycles since 2010 and I have never seen so many students left with choices that they felt made everything they had accomplished in HS was a waste. Some of them were own goals- their lists were over-confident to start with. But many others had thoughtful, well-balanced lists- and were still left with “just” safeties. Yes, there have been a handful who won the lottery- and it has been wonderful to see them struggle between some really amazing choices- but they are few and far between, and you can’t bank on being one of them.
Imo, a student who is getting Bs in math and sees CalTech as a back-up plan for MIT needs to do some serious recalibrating. Go ahead and keep your dream of MIT- for the right student, it is an amazing place. But: between now and summer 2020, focus your efforts on finding schools where your stats put you in the top 25% of admitted students, where the admissions rate is 30% PLUS and that you would be genuinely happy to attend (and that are affordable!). Best case scenario, you get MIT and it won’t matter. But if you are one of the 93+% of applicants who gets rejected, you will have some good options lined up.
To borrow @lostaccounts analogy, it’s hard to love a Lexus, much less a Toyota, when all you can see is a Lamborghini or a Bentley, but it is madness to bet your college plans on being able to get one. Line up your Toyota first. Then figure out the Lexus. The Lamborghini dream will take care of itself 
OP, you’re asking the wrong question. Your B’s will likely hurt your chances more at Caltech as it places greater emphasis on academics. Taking AP Physics 1 in your junior year is also significantly below the pace (many successful applicants take AP Physics C directly and score 5s on the exams).
Besides improving your grades, if you demonstrate athletic abilities, it may offset some of your academic deficiencies when applying to MIT.
Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test or B I get is a point away from going to MIT."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”
Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”
Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”
HMA132, please listen to bopper (above) and realize that you can have a bright and rewarding future, no matter what.
If you commit to try your best and develop all of your abilities, good things will emerge for you. Whether you get into MIT or not, persistence, effort and learning to work hard (but to accept the sometimes disappointing results) will be your best preparation for life.
You are very young. It saddens me that you seem to already anticipate “failure”. Focus on growing and learning, and don’t be too discouraged by setbacks. It’s good to dream and reach high. Don’t let others convince you otherwise. But there are many rewarding paths in life. Trust that in time, you will find the right one for you…
My straight A kid with almost perfect test scores was rejected from both MIT and Caltech. He’s fine - ended up at Carnegie Mellon and is in his dream job now. bopper gave you great advice. Take the courses you can do well in and don’t compare yourself to other people. There are hundreds of great colleges out there that are happy to have B students.
OP, what is your overall GPA? MIT and CalTech won’t necessarily be counting each B on your transcript, but a competitive applicant is going to have a 3.8+/4.0 UW GPA in the “most rigorous” classes.
You may be looking at the wrong grades. What shows on the transcript from your HS? Many schools only show year-end grades and not the semester grades.
yeah, come back when the time comes and let us know how that worked out for you
@HMA132 As you can see form the many posts here you are living in an unrealistic world here. In truth the B’s will hurt you because they will affect your GPA. The top student at my sons competitive private HS didn’t get into either of those schools and was perfect grade and test wise. He took Calc BC as a sophomore in HS. One thing will not put you in or out but collegemom3717 and bopper gave you great advice. Of course you can dream big and apply to these competitive schools but you need matches and safeties that you love. I would say put put more emphasis on these schools vs the reaches because that is likely where you will end up. Good Luck!
Edit: lmao I meat Georgia Tech not CalTech. I am aware that CalTech is an insanely good school
@HMA123 It was funny, though. Btw, unless you are a Georgia resident, then GA Tech will be equally out of reach.
You have a greater than 90% chance of being declined by both schools. Getting in is more luck than qualification, because every other application looks virtually identical to yours. This is seriously nothing to stress over. Apply to a variety of affordable schools based on your career interests. And, consider scholarships. They’re probably the best financial return of anything you could get.