Bit of a grade freakout...

Applying to College
1

<p>So I was a little worried about this the other day and thought I might divulge.</p>

<p>I've generally had very good grades throughout high school - mostly A's and nothing lower than an A-. My high school is one of the top high schools in the country (from what I've heard, most universities are aware of this) and the courses can be very difficult and the workload rigorous. However, I had a bit of difficulty at the beginning of this year due to some personal/family issues, thus my midyear report probably does not look as good as my grades in previous years. I haven't seen all of my grades from first semester, but I'm pretty sure I have more A-'s than A's, and may possibly have one B+, though there's a chance that that grade is an A- as well (I'm not entirely sure - I haven't been given a grade report for this class).</p>

<p>What I'm worried about is that many of the comments on this board say that "your most important grades are those on your senior year midyear report" or "colleges like to see a progression over time." I'm slightly perplexed by this because:</p>

<p>a) Many people take much harder courses in their junior and senior years than they do as underclassmen. I went from taking no APs sophomore year to taking 4 difficult APs in junior year and the same number in senior year (all non-AP classes have been honors). I did well in my junior year courses, but this year hasn't been as wonderful.</p>

<p>b) In my school, as in many top-ranked high schools, it's not easy to get A's in the more difficult courses, even if you put in a lot of effort.</p>

<p>c) I'm not sure what colleges consider a "good grade." I would much rather have an A than an A-, but an A- is by no means a bad grade. In my school system, A-'s range from 89.5-92.49999 (the A-'s I have gotten have all been above 90, but colleges don't know this, of course).</p>

<p>I apologize if this comes off as snobby/whiny/melodramatic because that's not my intention, but will this really hurt me in the admissions process to top schools (i.e. Duke, WashU, UVA, Northwestern, Columbia - that caliber)?</p>

<p>(For the record, I do realize that even with stellar grades/ECs/test scores/essays, getting into top schools is not a guarantee.)</p>

<p>Thanks for any responses!</p>

2

<p>I think that you need to chill a bit.</p>

<p>The colleges you’re applying to know many high schools. They establish relationships with guidance counselors, and they know the grading policy at the schools.</p>

<p>Your grades sound great. Ask your guidance counselor if you think otherwise.</p>

<p>Take a deep breath, and wait for the admission decisions.</p>

3

<p>I’m sure that you will be completely fine. As far as midyear report grades, my belief is that colleges simply want to make sure that you’re continuing to work, so you just shouldn’t be getting a B- in every class. CALM DOWN, lol. I do know where you’re coming from though–I turned in an essay a day late for the first time this year, and was freaking out about it for a while, as it dropped the grade to a 50%; but I’ve pretty much reached the realization that an 86 in AP English Lit won’t matter.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the support. I’ve been doing the best I can, but the courses I am taking this year are difficult.</p>

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<p>That’s exactly what happened to my AP stats grade. At the beginning of the year, I was in a rush and forgot to bring my stats binder to school one day, so I missed the opportunity to turn in two assignments – that was 10 points lost. I was intimidated by the teacher at that time, so I never really asked whether I could get those points back since the policy sheet given to us at the beginning of the year said that forgetting your assignments on any day meant that assignment would get a zero (stupid decision on my part, I know, but I won’t do it again). If it were not for those two assignments, I would have an A in the class as opposed to an A-.</p>

<p>Come to think of it, many of my A-'s over the years (with the exception of physics last year) have hinged on one or two grades. That’s so frustrating.</p>

5

<p>You say:

And then you say:

I don’t understand whatsoever why you’re freaking out over a B+. There are people that get into Ivies with a B (or two…maybe even three!) on their transcripts. I don’t see why the schools that you listed would deny you for getting a B. You’ll be ay-okay!</p>

6

<p>Your high school is one of the top in the country? Then you shouldn’t be so worried over a B+. I’m basically echoing what ohsnapitsskira said above me.</p>

<p>That is, unless your school is also a grade inflator. Then you have a bit more of a problem. Do you know the percentage of people who get A- and above in your grade?</p>

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<p>What do you mean by grade inflator? I know that our GPAs tend to be inflated because nearly all of our classes are considered honors (and we have a 0.5 honors bump and a 1.0 AP bump) and that my weighted GPA is above the average, but I don’t know any unweighted stats, and my school doesn’t rank. I don’t know how many students get A-'s and above.</p>

<p>Thanks for the nice responses!</p>