Which is better (My school does not offer AP Micro or Macro)? The Dual-enrollment Econ at our school has a history of bringing down students’ GPA: the last year, no one in the class got an A… Would colleges rather see a high GPA and low difficulty class (this would be my first low level class in 4 years of High School), or a harder class and lower GPA?
The only answer I’ve ever received from Admissions staff to “it it better to get a B in an AP class or an A in an honors class” has been “frankly, we’d like to see an A in the AP class”. It’s one of the oft-asked questions to which I’ve never seen a good answer.
The difference here is that it’s not a labeled AP or honors class. So the transcript might not really reflect that it’s a “hard” class. How rigorous is the rest of your schedule and your overall GPA? Taking one “easier” class among 6 other AP classes and a 4.0 will be looked at differently than no AP/honors and a lower GPA.
Unless your GC dings you for not taking the Econ class in terms of categorizing your courses as the most rigorous, I don’t think colleges care if you have Econ or not.
What’s at stake if you get a B instead of an A? Will your guidance counselor not check the “most rigorous” box if you don’t take the DE class? Are you at risk of losing a valedictorian spot? Are you at risk of losing an auto-admit spot into a state college?
If you’ve gotten straight As (or A’s with just a couple of B’s) through high school and there is no other downside, I’d actually risk a B in the DE class. I can understand you being worried about the midterm grades that go to colleges, but you’ll already be accepted somewhere before the final grades come out, and no college will rescind you over one B (or even one C). Chances are, depending on where you matriculate, the DE credit can help you. There is no wrong answer here, though. It really just depends on your personal goals and aspirations.
Thank you guys for the input.
@RichInPitt this year my schedule is: AP Psychology, AP English Literature, AP Physics, AP Calc BC self-study, Orchestra, Government (AP US gov not offered), and maybe an elective or two.
@Groundwork2022 Although my school does not do ranking, I was told that my state flagship college looks at GPA relevant to students from each HS. In these terms, I am risking a Valedictorian spot and a spot in the honors college. (Have all As but my orchestra and last year’s Spanish 4.0 gpa is dragging my GPA down).
My school does trimesters so does anyone know if my GC would send my Tri 1 grades in over mid tri 2?