Effects of an A Minus

Applying to College
1

Hi guys,

I just received my first A-minus in AP Physics. This course is the most difficult or one of the most difficult at my high school and I received an A in the first semester. I have received all A’s and A-pluses since Freshman year. Is receiving one A-minus going to drastically affect my chances of getting into a school like UofM?

courseload thus far:

freshman year:
honors geometry, honors English, honors biology, elective classes, Spanish I

sophomore year:
honors English II, AP world history, honors Alg 2 trig, honors Chemistry, Spanish II, electives

junior year:
AP Lang, APUSH, AP Physics, Honors Pre Calc, AP Computer Science Principles, Spanish III, electives

senior year:
AP Literature, AP Gov, AP Bio, AP Calc, AP Macroeconomics (1 semester), Honors Spanish, Dual enrollment college course for intro to communication ( 1 semester )

I know an A minus isn’t terrible but I’m having a really hard time coping. I have worked really hard the last few years and for it to be suddenly tainted by a single A minus in my junior year really hurts. Any tips on coping and will this realistically hurt my chances much at schools like UofMich?

2

A single A minus won’t make a difference in your admissions results.

3

I wouldn’t admit you UNLESS you got an A- at some point or another. Life is more than good grades, and no one is perfect. If you were, you wouldn’t need to attend UM.

4

My kid had A- in approximately 30 to 40% of his high school classes but he got into Stanford with no hook. In fact, he specialized in doing just enough work to get A-s instead of B+s which he got in 2 semesters. One A- will not hurt you in any way.

I was one of those parents who rather have my kid read books, play and do interesting ECs and get A- rather than get A+s in classes. Generally speaking, I don’t believe in studying too much just for the sake of grades. If you really like the course, that’s different. Of course, if your kid can do everything and get A+s, that would be great, but that’s not easy to do.

5

“I know an A minus isn’t terrible but I’m having a really hard time coping.” The problems coping are worrisome. An A on your transcript is an A. One minus only affects gpa by a fraction. You can develop perspective and resilience, both will be importantt- in life and to your applications.

6

An A- won’t hurt for U of Michigan, and might be a tiny blemish for HYPSM and the like.

7

That A- is great. Makes you appreciate the smooth and easy ‘A’.

It will not be the thing which derails your momentum going forward.

Comment #4 has a gem of a message in it for you. Hold it close.

8

I know a lot of the other people say “Oh an A- is actually beneficial to your grades”, but take a closer look at your courses: you seem to take relatively non-difficult courses (AP’s are nice but only AP calc senior year? no IBs?) It’s probably hurt you a bit if you’re applying to any IVY’s, especially if you haven’t got a hook, except if you’re an URM (like moi). Other than that, if you’re applying to a regular, higher level college that isn’t IVY-league, then it’s OK i guess.

9

Threads like this make me sad.

10

@CottonTales I agree! Not being able to cope with a single A- doesn’t bode super well for coping with some of the real challenges to come in life. We all need to fail at times, in order to learn how to pick ourselves up and keep going.

11

I wouldn’t sweat it. My son was admitted to Princeton as well as several other highly competitive colleges despite 3 B’s during high school. Granted, he offset them by doing exceptionally well in other classes and speaking 2languages (we lived overseas for a time), but the only schools where this hurt him were those who calculated “indexes”. My view is that the highly selective universities spent more time evaluating his application than other ones.

12

If the perfectionist attitude and issue with resilience comes through in the app or LoRs, it will be an issue for top colleges. Stretch and drives are valued, but not obsession and frailty over one A-. (Likely, this shows at high school, too.) Let the “right” things drive you, dont let the sum of hs be how you never got a minus. There are better ways to make your mark and impress.

13

This is more disturbing than getting an A-.

14

@heroash I truly hope your post was meant as a joke. This is clearly a very rigorous schedule. Not every high school offers IB.

15

@pv2018abc. Michigan doesn’t accept weighted scores. A=4,B=3,etc. So no plus or minuses either. Get as many as you would like.) :smile.

Michigan LSA is 3.83. Engineering is 3.93. Work on a great essay and have activities that you enjoy doing for 2-3 years.

16

Thanks for the response guys. I am just really sad because I have worked really hard and it’s disappointing to see my “perfect” record go down the drain. My class rank also recently dropped from 2/165 to 3/165 and I’ve been very disappointed about that. But I appreciate all your help and advice and look forward to more feedback.

Also, regarding the comment about not taking an IB’s, my school does not offer those. We only offer AP’s.

17

Stop worrying, you’ll be fine. Being 3/165 in your class instead of 2/165 also means nothing and I think it’s extremely unlikely any college will reject you just because you were 3rd instead of 2nd. Go enjoy life and stop stressing over a letter on a piece of paper that in any case still indicates you did outstanding work.

18

Well, duh. Any kid stressed out enough about a single A- that he needs to vent in College Confidential is obviously in need of some sarcastic succor.