<p>My friend has always been an A+ student and is getting her first failing grade in an AP class. Will this hurt her chance of getting into a top college?</p>
<p>Think about what you just said. Will a F guarantee you friend wont get into a top college? No. Does it mean that your friends chance just went down? Yes. Im pretty sure he should know this by now since he is an “A+” student.</p>
<p>I would try to get shifted down into the next lower level class - such as honors instead of AP. Many schools are happy to do that.</p>
<p>If he is literally getting a failing grade in junior year, the most important academic year, then that is very bad. It would be disingenuous to say that you could fail one of your “rigorous” courses (which are supposed to demonstrate your readiness to do college-level work) and still have an appreciable chance at top colleges.</p>
<p>Hopefully since the year isn’t over he can pull it up to something that will not hurt him as much.</p>