<p>I'm at the end of my junior year in high school and I have a total of 5 B+'s on my transcript. My school also does only final grades, so there are only about 7 or 8 grades per year on my transcript depending on how many classes I took. I got 2 B+'s in my sophomore year and 3 in my junior year. I know this looks really bad. I really don't know how else I could have improved though. There were two AP classes that me and the rest of the top 5 in my grade took where the teacher gave out B's every marking period. Everyone at the top of my class has at least 2 B's on their transcript for junior year. I got a B+ as a final grade in another class because I was stupid and tried to improve my grade in the other classes, and I only realized in the middle of the year that it was pointless. How bad does this look? I really want to apply for Yale SCEA. I really don't want my transcript to destroy my chances >_<. Other than that, I have good scores, gpa, extracurriculars, etc...everything else.</p>
<p>Do you have a chance? Yes, you have a chance. Everyone who applies has a chance. It is only those who don’t even bother to send in the application who will definitely not receive a letter of admission from the school.</p>
<p>That being said, how much of a chance you have will depend of a variety of other factors. For instance, a high SAT/ACT score paired with an imperfect GPA is either a sign of really rigorous classes, or a intelligent but lazy student. I can make no judgment on which of these you are, but your teachers certainly can. If your teachers praise you as one of the hardest-working students they have ever taught and explain that they just have a really difficult curve, then colleges may not consider that “B” to be a “poor grade.” On the other hand, if your teachers have any qualms about your work ethic or your ability to handle difficult subjects and they express those reservations in their letters, then your B’s may hurt you.</p>
<p>This entire post can be summed up in this: your B’s do not disqualify you by any means from being able to be able to attend Yale. Whether or not you gain admission will depend on the strength of the rest of your application.</p>
<p>I completely agree with aksoccerboy’s advice with one caveat. Yale is a “reach” school for everyone, even students who have straight A’s and near perfect SAT/ACT scores. Your 5 B’s indicate to me that Yale is even more of a “reach” school for you. Unless you have a “wow” factor on your resume (Intel Semi-Finalist, recruited athlete, performed solo at Carnegie Hall, noted research project etc,), then I would recommend that you NOT apply SCEA, as your application might be overshadowed by students with better grades and stellar teacher recommendations proclaiming them the best of the brightest. If you apply to Yale SCEA, the most likely scenario is that you will be deferred as Admissions will want to compare your file with applicants from the RD pool.</p>
<p>The better, safer and more realistic approach for you would be to apply to Yale in the RD round and apply early to a broad range of “target” schools such as UChicago, UMich, Case Western Reserve, Northeastern, Georgetown, your state school etc. In that way, you will hopefully have at least one acceptance in your back-pocket come December and still have a shot at Yale in April.</p>
<p>Another reality check: Regardless of SAT/ACT score, has anyone from your high school been admitted to Yale SCEA with your GPA? If you don’t know, ask your guidance counselor.</p>
<p>Nobody really gets admitted to the “best” Ivies from my school, but people with my GPA have been admitted to UPenn, Cornell, etc. Thanks for the honest feedback though 
I’ll think about applying RD now.</p>
<p>“Nobody really gets admitted to the “best” Ivies from my school”</p>
<p>Given that information, coupled with the 5 B’s, then I would definitely not waste your early slot on applying to Yale; apply RD.</p>
<p>OP: I would not waste your early application on Chicago either…as Chicago requires extremely thoughtful outstanding essays which may require more fermenting for the regular round coupled with improved senior academic record…that is unless you want an automatic “deferral” and ultimate rejection with your 5 Bs (could be your Achilles heel, not even knowing the rest of your app)…I have noticed that individuals who apply to Chicago in the early round tend to be outstanding students who really “love” the school or TOP students who are “hedging” their bets strategically…those who can get into TOP schools that just can’t pull the trigger on applying to SCEA schools…</p>
<p>…I just don’t want you to become another statistic that makes Chicago acceptance rate even lower…</p>
<p>…hope this helps. Good luck.</p>
<p>IMHO: Although UChicago is a reach for the OP, UChicago is unrestrictive early (as opposed to Yale’s restrictive policy) so s/he can apply to UChicago and 3 or 6 or 10 other schools in the early round. The OP should check with their GC to see how many kids are accepted early from their school to UChicago with the same GPA. Given that UPenn and Cornell have accepted other students with the same GPA from the OP’s school, UChicago may be a viable option if the student is willing to complete the additional essays: <a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/essays/[/url]”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/essays/</a></p>