<p>I recently found out that I got a B+ in AP Physics. It was a 89.3, and he only rounds 89.5 and up...:( It was my first B in high school so far (I'm in my sophomore year). </p>
<p>Anyway, I'm trying to get into the Ivies, specifically Yale, Princeton, and Harvard, although any other is ok. I'm taking 4 AP's this year, and plan on taking the SAT later this semester (I'm hoping for a 2350), as well as the ACT. </p>
<p>For my ec's, I'm on the debate team. I volunteer at our local hospital on weekends, and I sometimes help out at our Chinese school. I'm going to China this summer to teach children English, and I'm in the middle of making a website to donate money to charities (although that may not work out). Also, towards the middle of this new semester, I plan on working with a professor at WashU to do a research project. I paint, and plan on doing art competitions, the History Day Competition thingy, and computer programming competitions, although it's not guaranteed that I'll win anything.</p>
<p>I know that one B won't get me automatically rejected, but I do know that it'll make it harder to get in. Our school recently got rid of class rank (grr....), so that's out of the picture. After finding out that I will most likely not get a perfect 4.0, I'm really upset, and I need some advice from people on what to do next. I would love to hear the perspectives of people that have gotten in any of the mentioned colleges, and how you guys got in. Thanks so much :)</p>
<p>Oh shut up. I have had countless B’s and even a couple of C’s and did just fine. But then again my B’s are 85-93 so I suppose I have had a lot of your technical “A’s”, but it is not the end of the world.</p>
<p>There’s much more to you than a B+ in one semester of AP Physics on your transcript. Take it easy. Stop caring about the Ivies, care about your life, and enjoy it. IF you’re right for them, the Ivy profile will follow naturally.</p>
<p>OK Annie: I’ll be blunt. You’re a sophomore moaning about your first B. This tells me you have no idea of what type of student is the typical Ivy leaguer. In your logic, only 4.0 GPA students get in. </p>
<p>Maybe you should peruse the websites of some of your target schools and familiarize yourself with the qualifications of the typical viable applicant.</p>
<p>Finally, you’ve gotten this torrent of abuse because your moaning about the B is just incredibly shallow. As if you were too good to get one. You don’t even understand how noisome this attitude is. I hope you’ll learn more perspective as you move along in your HS career. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>First of all, I never said, or implied, that I didn’t deserve that B. As I said, I got it, and I’m upset, because I know that I didn’t try hard enough. </p>
<p>Our class has over 1000 people (we’re one of the biggest schools in MO) and is extremely competitive. Everyone and their pet fish has all A’s, and the fact that I got a B is extremely disappointing to me, as I’m at a disadvantage. I’ve read the stats of many Harvard acceptees and most have a perfect 4.0. This is the reason why I’m upset. As I said, I didn’t think that I’d be automatically rejected. I just know that I’m at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>Because I’m at a disadvantage, I listed out my ec’s and the things that I planned to do throughout high school to see if anyone had any advice. My parents both immigrated from China, and I’m the oldest, so I don’t have much help from my family. I’m not entirely familiar with the admissions process, which is why I want to see if anyone had anything to say about it here.</p>
<p>I don’t see how my attitude has anything to do here.</p>
<p>The only thing that B should do is motivate you to try harder; instead of worrying about it, move on and learn from it. You admitted it yourself: </p>
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<p>Is this the attitude that you think Harvard will accept? Rather, is this the attitude that Harvard wants in its incoming freshman class? Fix the attitude, and the grades will follow.</p>
<p>And ultimately, just because you don’t end up with a 4.0 doesn’t mean your life is over. I wish my 3.7 GPA was higher, but I wouldn’t trade it for the fun I had (and still having) in high school, and I’m still applying to top schools.</p>
<p>Annie. Do not worry. a 4.0 isn’t necessarily a requirement. Yes, Ivy league schools want high grades but a 3.95 is almost equal to a 4.0. Do not stress too much about it. Just make sure it doesn’t become something normal, and try to maintain your EC and your grades. Remember, you could always raise your GPA in future semesters.</p>
<p>If you want to look at it in a different way, you got that grade and there’s nothing you can do about it. But you can work to avoid getting it again.</p>
<p>I’m not really concerned with my grades right now. After this blunder, I’m trying extremely hard for A’s the rest of HS.</p>
<p>What I’m more concerned about is what kind of plan I should take throughout high school. What kind of EC’s are best and some advice on what I should focus on?</p>
<p>Look into things your really passionate about, and spend your summers wisely. Do something that might be directly related to an intended major (perhaps an internship) or find something out of the ordinary to delve yourself in (like a foreign exchange program). </p>
<p>Your grades are spectacular, and that little B might even show to colleges that you can keep going even if you’ve had setbacks.</p>
<p>My AP economics teacher, who graduated from Princeton and whose friend works on the admission staff on Harvard, told the class that the schools don’t take you based off your 4.0 gpa. They take you based off if they “need” you. What does that mean you might wonder? It means, do you participate in an EC that is lacking at their school? Do you play an instrument they need in their band? Certainly a high gpa helps a lot. But whether or not they accept you does not say anything about you. It says everything about the college. Moral of the story: one B doesn’t matter</p>
<p>AnnieZ, do what YOU want to do, not what you think Harvard Yale and Princeton want you to do. I can guarantee you, no one here has the answer you’re looking for. At this point, it sounds like you’re far too concerned with impressing these schools to actually enjoy yourself.</p>
<p>Just join whatever EC you enjoy. Don’t try to impress anyone by doing something you don’t like, because if you do, there is a good chance you might not do well in it, and you’ll end up flipping around too much. I would say focus mostly on keeping your grades up (B’s are okay every now and then.) Volunteering always helps as well (personally, I find a lot of personal satisfaction in doing it). Just relax, work hard, and have fun.</p>