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Mea Culpa! I have worked for many years in both college & HS and have never seen a college-bound HS transcript with any more than one grade per course. Funny that I blindly snagged a Google image that disproved my point. I still maintain that the OP needn’t worry about yearlong B work in a course, with the caveat that her “Ivy” orientation is probably misplaced. </p>
<p>Regardless of how it’s reported, colleges will likely view it as one B and not as a downward trend.</p>
<p>More problematic is the self-deprecating tone that permeates this and other threads that you have started. You will do yourself no favors in the admissions process if/when this comes through on your essays. You have some amazing credentials, but putting yourself down at every turn is disconcerting to say the least.</p>
<p>If this is not considered a downward trend, then what is? I just want to know. And yes, I’m harsh on myself, but I’m used to it and I only appreciate brutal honesty so I know how to improve. </p>
<p>A downward trend would be B’s in all/most of your classes this year. You got a B- in calculus. The teacher is a strict grader. I get it. So will admissions committees.</p>
<p>Should I have my GC mention my teacher’s incompetence in the GC rec? I don’t think it would be whiny because it’s a trusted adult writing it, and there are legitimate facts to back it up. </p>
<p>^^ Most high school GC’s don’t want to slam a colleague in writing, even an incompetent one, as it’s: (a) unprofessional, and (b) opening themselves (and the school) up for a potential defamation lawsuit should the teacher ever get wind of it. So . . . you need to just let it go. Many students are accepted to the ivies with B’s on their transcript. For example, at Harvard: <a href=“The Harvard Crimson | Class of 2017”>http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/admissions.html</a>.</p>
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<p>While 54% had a 4.0 in high school, 46% of incoming students did not. I like the scattergam because it cross-references GPA and test scores of recently admitted students.</p>
<p>FWIW: I know a wonderful pianist who applied to Harvard several years ago and submitted a music supplement. I don’t know his exact GPA, but it was probably around 3.95. He was waitlisted and then rejected from Harvard, but he was accepted to Juilliard where he is now a rising senior (so his music ability was never in question). In general, colleges need more string musicians than pianists, so you should cast a wide net.</p>
<p>Do top schools/ ivies recalculate my GPA to the way @snarlatron described it? Do they take each trimester grade and average it to come up with a final grade for the course, and use that final grade for my GPA? If they in fact do, then my GPA would be higher than if they averaged each trimester grade separately…</p>
<p>Every college does things differently, and no college I’m aware of specifies if they recalculate or publishes the algorithm they use to recalculate, so you’re not going to find one rule that fits all schools. That said, this article may be helpful: <a href=“http://www.possibilityu.com/how-calculate-your-“real”-high-school-gpa”>http://www.possibilityu.com/how-calculate-your-“real”-high-school-gpa</a></p>
<p>The below link may be of interest re: recalculating GPA.</p>
<p><a href=“Why Colleges Scoff At Your Kid's GPA - WSJ”>http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB105899458688282900</a></p>
<p>My kids’ HS official transcript reports semester grades (not quarters and not entire year though both of those appear on report cards). </p>
<p>Anyway, a “downward trend” is, as I see it, a matter of grades dropping as you progress through high school. Not in one class but in most/all. And sometimes that trend reflects the fact that a student challenged his/her self and took very difficult courses. </p>
<p>If the coursework was indeed challenging (2 AP sophomore year to 4 junior year), is the slight downward trend (I did not get mostly Bs, but there is definitely a small negative trend) somewhat forgiven?</p>
<p>You don’t have a downward trend, even a small one. A trend is a pattern, which requires more than one data point. You have a bunch of As and one B. Take a deep breath and cut yourself some slack. </p>
<p>To answer your question, while there is not a downward trend, colleges will take the fact that you took very challenging courses into account when they review your transcript. </p>
<p>I still don’t understand how this is not a downward trend though. I have 6 As (frosh and soph) and 3 Bs (junior) in math courses on my transcript. There is no way this is not considered at least a small downward trend…</p>
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^^ Because you are not taking course rigor into consideration. Calc BC, which you took junior year, is considered by many Admissions Officers to be the “holy grail” of AP’s – in other words, it’s tougher and more rigorous than the math courses you took in freshman and sophomore years. So, although your grade of B in Calc BC is technically on a downward slope, you took a very difficult course as a younger student and did well. The vast majority of HS applicants, including my kids, did not take AP Calc BC until their senior year – and colleges WILL notice that, especially if you also took the AP Calc BC exam your junior year and scored well. All selective colleges would prefer students that challenge themselves, and therefore getting a B in Calc BC as a junior is more impressive than taking geometry or algebra your junior year and getting an A. You need to stop beating yourself up about this issue and move on, as there is nothing you can do about it anyway.</p>
<p>^ “You need to stop beating yourself up about this issue and move on, as there is nothing you can do about it anyway.” Bears repeating.</p>
<p>It’ll hurt you for sure, anything less than a 4.0 is bad (54% of people at Harvard are 4.0’s. I doubt anywhere near 54% of the qualified applicants are 4.0’s so it’s a huge boost) for these schools, but it’s not a killer and 1 grade will be seen as an anomaly, not a downwards trend. Not to mention that as a music major, your grades aren’t as important and your musical skill (which seems to be great) will be more important. So I wouldn’t stress it.</p>
<p>I don’t see the deep need for Ivy, why Ivy? USC has a really good music department.</p>
<p>A downward trend is not one subject for a year, it’s several subjects for several years - ie. freshman GPA 3.8, sophomore GPA 3.3, junior GPA 2.7, and senior year’s first semester grades are all C’s except for one B.</p>
<p>Yes, overall, colleges look at yearly grades so that comparisons are accurate (most high schools will send colleges 1 grade per subject based on all your term or quarter or semester grades in that subject that year. If your school doesnt provide it, then they have to take care of it.)</p>
<p>^ I did not know that colleges calculate a final grade the way @MYOS1634 explained. So they average up all my trimester grades to come up with a final grade for each course? And they use those final grades to calculate my gpa? This is not how my high school does it</p>
<p>Most colleges will recalculate your GPA based on their own standards, regardless of how your high school calculates your GPA.</p>