My first AP grades are probably going to settle around 89 for the 1st marking period (out of 3). A 90 is an A in my school, and though I know these will be B’s, will it seriously affect my chances of getting scholarships/acceptance if it is a B for a marking period and not for the overall class? I’m not looking at anywhere that selective beside my reach schools JHU and Princeton (with a low optimism), but I’m more concerned about Stevens. The classes are also AP Lang and AP US, and I plan on majoring in a STEM heavy field; would they overlook a B in AP Lang for an A in AP Bio?
What do you mean by marking period vs. the overall class? I’m a bit confused…do you mean that the B is like a grade halfway through your quarter or semester? If these aren’t your final grades (i.e. they won’t appear on your transcript) I definitely wouldn’t worry about it. Also, a B is not the end of the world…many many people who get into selective colleges have a few Bs on their transcript.
In our school we have 6 marking periods that are 30 days each, so AP classes technically only get grades for 3 marking periods because the classes are every other day. Those marking period grades are averaged along with a final that counts for 25% of the final grade of that class (for example - if I got a 90, 95, and 93 as my marking period grades and then an 85 on the final, the final grade for the class would be a 91). I’m not sure what exactly goes on the transcript, because the report cards we get have every single marking period grade, each marking period GPA, the final exam grade and final grade.
I think you should be fine then…I’m pretty sure most colleges only care about the final grade for the class. Plus, if you bring the B up to an A and if colleges see every marking period grade then it’s a sign of improvement, which colleges like to see. I wouldn’t worry about it too much!