<p>I'm in a really bad mood and need to rant (sorry that guys will be my victims), so feel free to flame should you choose to respond. </p>
<p>I applied to SCEA Princeton and was deferred. I know from the moment that I opened my e-mail that it was because of my first quarter grades (B in Calc AB and B - in AP English). Well, it seems like I ended the semester not just with B's in those classes, but a B+ in a non-AP class as well. I, along with another friend of mine that also highly regrets having done so, am taking the toughest workload in my grade. Not only are my AP's (Spanish Lit, English Lit, Calc AB and Euro) heavy in terms of workload, but the tests tend to be brutal. To top it off, even my non-AP classes compare in work to AP's I've taken in previous years, hence that B+. </p>
<p>I was aware of the risk of this happening, considering that my school by reputation is known to be very tough and typically sends its top students to Ivy's. The thing is, though, I wish that there were a way of these universities knowing the differences between CLASSES in the same school. While some classes will literally make you dedicate at least one hour and a half everyday of work, others, even certain AP's, are nothing more than blow-off courses that students take to raise their GPA. As a result, students have used the strategy of taking easy AP's and normal classes to achieve a GPA of 4.4 (cap is 4.5) with less work than the 3.89 student that is taking much harder classes and spends more time studying. What bothers me is that the 4.4 student is getting into the most selective schools while the 3.89 student gets into great colleges, but not necessarily the most selective. I guess this is the disadvantage of attending a school that is historically known for being very rigorous, even in non-AP classes, but still retains a sufficient number of easy classes to allow this to happen...</p>
<p>I know, I know. I really have no one to blame but myself, seeing as I CHOSE those courses. I'm not going to regret having taken them, because I truly have enjoyed them and hope to become a better person for having taken them. Still, as you can see, I resent those that deliberately take easier classes (which I know happens everywhere) and are getting spots in amazing schools. Now, feel free to flame. My only wish is that you don't post a list of the 25.7 AP's you've taken and gotten A++++ in, because I recognize I'm not a super person like your typical CC'er and that would only lower my self-esteem more. Also, I will probably hate myself 24 hours from now for writing this post..... </p>
<p>Just to make sure this somewhat stays on the topic of chances, do you guys think I still have a chance at Princeton and other very selective schools?</p>