So far, I have the following AP scores:
Freshman Year:
- Physics 1 (2)
- World History (3)
Sophomore Year:
- U.S. Gov (3)
- Calculus AB (5)
- Computer Science (3)
- English Language (4)
- Music Theory (3) - (2 Aural, 5 Nonaural)
Junior Year:
- English Literature (2)
- Calculus BC (3) - (4 AB Subscore)
- Physics 1 (3) : Retake
- Spanish Language (3)
- U.S. History (3)
- Macroeconomics (5)
As someone applying to some top universities, will the presence of 2s and almost exclusively 3s hurt my chances, or do some top universities discard AP scores when making decisions?
Genuinely curious, why are you continuing to take so many AP’s when you are not doing well?
I was required to take most of them (my public school’s requirements): Physics 1, U.S. Gov’t, Calc AB, English Lang, English Lit, Spanish Lang, U.S. History
I had class choices for some subject areas, but the alternatives were not advanced enough. Calculus BC I took online because I got a 5 on AB and because I was taking IB Calculus in school (which IMO isn’t that advanced). Music Theory I took because I had lots of prior knowledge. I really should’ve gotten a 4/5 (based on practice tests), but I was unlucky with a harder-than-usual aural questions.
I took the non-required APs more for the classes and grades than the exams themselves.
tl;dr Some were required and others were just to challenge me.
Yes, they can hurt you because top schools expect you to do well in them. If you do not send in your scores for them on the Common App, they assume you did not do well in them. Your GPA can only serve you so far as your school may inflate grades whereas it is standardized on AP tests.
Most were required by my school. The others I took because the alternative class choices weren’t challenging enough to me.
Do you go to a magnetic/competitive/top public school or private school?
You’re taking too any APs, which makes it impossible for you to do well in them.
Also, if you’re getting As in class, it may point to a grade inflation problem at your school.
Yes these scores will hurt you. Only submit one per year to show consistency. Or none. But check your school profile because if your GC indicates your school makes taking the tests mandatory then you’re stuck.
All in all, you should focus on universities and LACs ranked 40-75.
Yes, I go to a competetive magnet public school. My school doesn’t do grade inflation (actually grade deflation) but the competition is so high that you need to have several extra APs to even rank in the top half. A large number of GPAs are in the 4.2 to 4.6 range.
If you were my student I would advise you to not report any of your AP scores. The overall pattern of your scores is not stellar. However, if the majority of your classmates are reporting you may “need” to report; and if their scores are higher…you are going to pale by comparison. You need to discuss your reporting options very thoroughly with your Guidance Counselor.
Try to apply to colleges that aren’t perenial favorites at your school.
You’ll need to be creative - think Midwest, think collegs 400 or 500 miles from home, think LACs.
Have you read the school profile? Does it make clear that it’s a competitive magnet school?
Does your school actually rank (many competitive schools don’t)?
What is your unweighted GPA?
3.5 UW, 4.6 W
Rank: 71/373
Think out for the box for colleges to apply to.
Your AP scores are consistent with your GPA. If you had a 4.0 I would suspect there was some grade inflation at your school. I don’t think your AP scores will harm your chances at top universities, but your GPA and class rank (19%) might. I agree with the other posters: cast a wide net for colleges.