<p>I'm doing really poorly this quarter in honors chemistry (probably like a B or B+) and it might make my final grade a B+ instead of borderline A-... How will this affect my chances at top schools (ivies or others)... My teacher is a terrible teacher and doesn't really explain concepts well... All my other grades are either A or A- (all honors and AP)</p>
<p>I honestly don't think a single a B+ will matter.</p>
<p>The only possible way that a B+ could matter ONE, LITTLE BIT would be if your school has such bad grade inflation that it drops your rank significantly. Otherwise? Doesn't matter at all. Not even a little, tiny, teeny bit. Honestly? If you are this concerned over a B+, I'm kind of worried for you. If you don't get all 800's, are you going to freak out, too? Because that's pretty much the equivalent of panicking over a "really bad grade"...a B or B+.</p>
<p>Haha, wow....i am in the EXACT same situation as you. My teacher is the same way, my other grades are all pretty good...honors chem is the only class i have a B+ in...same as you. lol.</p>
<p>People have told me that it won't matter...especially if you can prove to colleges that you mostly recieve all A's and a B+ here or there won't make too much of a difference.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The only possible way that a B+ could matter ONE, LITTLE BIT would be if your school has such bad grade inflation that it drops your rank significantly.
[/quote]
our school doesn't rank</p>
<p>^^Then it definitely doesn't matter.</p>
<p>I would tell you people how many B's I have on my transcript, but I think that it might freak you out! Suffice it to say, I have a lot more than 1 B, but I still have a strong rank (14/768) and have already been accepted by a top LAC. I have applications out at the Ivies, and whatever my decisions are, I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be heavily affected by the amount of B's I have. Calm down, guys!</p>
<p>^^^Just outta curiousity then, what was your SAT score?</p>
<p>Because what im wondering is, if your GPA is not as high as it could be, are you possibily getting in because of a really high SAT?</p>
<p>One B+ is going to crush you. Say goodbye to all your dream schools ;) </p>
<p>One B+ is not going to do anything to you. Don't worry about it.</p>
<p>My SAT score is a 2290, and my three combined SAT II's are 2320. I also have 4 AP scores of 5. Very good test scores, definitely, but not perfect. My unweighted GPA (which my school does not calculate, but still) is 3.82, weighted is 4.41. Like I said before, this still qualifies for top 2% rank in my class--not valedictorian, sure, but not too shabby, either.</p>
<p>I don't know if this changes anything for you, but I did receive the majority (two-thirds) of my B's freshmen year, so I guess I have the upward grade trend thing going on as well.</p>
<p>People worry about B+'s because there's this weird motivation to maintain perfect straight A's even if they realize it's not that important. Psychologically, the difference between a transcript full of A's and a 4.0 is quite different from a 3.98. The difference between a 2400 and a 2390 is psychologically important. The difference between the GPA and the SAT is that GPA is stretched out over a long time. If you've had a 4.0 for the past five years, that B+ will freak you out. Ultimately, we should remember the difference is only a psychological effect. There is no significant difference between a 3.98 and a 4.0 or between a 2400 and 2390 in college admissions because the process is holistic instead of absolutely formulaic. This means that getting a 3.98 will not automatically reduce your chances by 5.8%.</p>
<p>In Doing School: How We are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students, Denise Pope Clark writes about Eve Lin, a high-achieving Asian girl in a competitive high school. Eve tells Clark
[quote]
I needed to get a 98 on my math final to get an A in the class. But, as it turns out, I only got a 95 which gave me a B+ for the year. At first I was devastated, like, "How could this happen to me?" But sometimes I think it is good because I don't have to worry about maintaining a 4.0. I mean some of my friends are really freaking out about this, and I can just laugh at them because I don't need to worry.
[/quote]
The real story, as Clark reveals, is that Eve is insecure. She repeats this story several times during the semester that Clark shadows the students. She tries to convince herself that she's not concerned because her GPA has already been "ruined." Instead, this low grade seems to have increased her anxiety. She sees herself as "lesser in [her] friend's eyes--like not an equal anymore." She is glad that freshman grades don't really count that much and still strives to keep up.</p>
<p>So what does this story tell us? This obsession with high grades may be good motivation but it harms our psychological well-being.</p>
<p>^yeah, but I'm also asian, and my mom accepts nothing less than A-!</p>
<p>Don't be worried. Just calm down and accept it. You can do an explanation. Remember than even 0.5% can make the difference between an A- and a B+. That means - just one assignment on a bad day can make the difference. The same applies the other way around. A B+ is considered a good grade, and you should just relax. Just make sure you get A's on everything else.</p>
<p>Oh yes, everyone can just explain away a bad grade, a bad year, a bad 3 years, a bad SAT. Schools will totally understand!!</p>
<p>(Spending time on CC worrying about your grade isn't helping to bring it up.)</p>
<p>Is Honors the highest level you have? At my school, we have "Comprehensive", "Honors", and "Advanced", as well as AP but one must complete Chem I to enroll in that class. If Honors is the highest level, and your grading scale is difficult (e.g., a 7% scale instead of that easy 10% scal everyone but me seems to get!), then a B+ is fine (if you want to be anal and have a 4.0, its not, but I assume you have a life). </p>
<p>Ask yourself, though: Do I really want to go to HYPC; Do I really have a chance, all things considered; Can I afford HYPC; Will I commit suicide if I don't go to HYPC, can have to go to, say, a school rated in the 20's or thirties; Do I have anything that makes me more than my gradepoint average? </p>
<p>If you answered no to any of these questions, then you have two problems. One, the B+ has ruined your life plan, and two, you have no life other than school, and have an unhealthy obsession with going to a "great" undergraduate school.</p>
<p>I hope it's not that big of a deal. The only non-A grade I have on my high school transcript is from 8th grade biology (89), taken for high school credit. I'm sure schools will understand the grade because it wasn't even just freshman, but it was still junior high when I took it.</p>
<p>Only on CC will a B+ be regarded as a death sentence.</p>
<p>also, can you die if you get too many Bs?</p>