<p>The myth of getting below an A in high school has been said the outcome of rejection from Ivy League/T20 universities? So, will (+)1 B's (maybe even C's and D's) lower your chances from attaining acceptance from these colleges? Is this a common misconception?</p>
<p>Certainly one B will not lower your chances. I have a dd who got 2 B's in soph, 2 jr and 2 sr. She was accepted to one Ivy and waitlisted at another and got in to several other great schools, no rejections. But she took a rigourous program, went to a school with a good reputation/excellent college placement and had very good EC's along with a real standout activity that was a 'hook' I think.</p>
<p>C's and D's definitely hurt, and a lot of B's will as well. There are so many excellent candidates for those schools that someone with a transcript with mostly B's or even scattered C's and D's will stand out in a negative way.</p>
<p>I agree with Bettina and Whartonalum. </p>
<p>Most of the students whom I see get into HPYS have virtually straight As in a rigorous curriculum, very strong scores and 2 exceptionally strong ECs that are typically in very different kinds of activities.</p>
<p>I think that the exceptions are probably recruited athletes, millionaire donor's kids, or have other exceptional hooks. Simply being a legacy would not be considered a hook strong enough to overcome grades that may be fine for most flagship state Us, and many colleges over the top 10, but aren't good enough for HPYS and similar colleges.</p>
<p>One B is okay, especially if it was in a hard class. However a C and D is pushing it and will probably be rejected.</p>
<p>This rule I would say applies mostly to public schools, where you really do have to have top notch grades to get in. However, at NE boarding schools and Stuy, TJ etc. as long as you have about the same number of A's as B's you have a legitimate shot with an appropriate SAT score.</p>
<p>My S had a couple B's from a non-competitive public and got into an Ivy. I don't think that will hurt you anywhere, if you have an otherwise strong application.</p>
<p>have u guys seen the simpsons where Bart and Homer laugh at Lisa because shes gonna have to go to Stanford instead of an ivy league? lol thats funny</p>
<p>See, if your B's and C's are in your freshman year. You are safe. BUt too many in freshman will hurt. BUt after freshman year, a C is gonna hurt. Bad</p>
<p>Bs tend to lower your class rank, which is the primary indicator of academic success that colleges consider. All this "if you have one B you're okay" talk misses the point - by far the most critical stat is class rank (unless your school doesn't compute any sort of rank at all). </p>
<p>Say that you have 2 Bs, which lower you from 1st in a class of 400 to 6th. This makes a surprisingly sizable difference in the "academic index" that ivy league schools calculate.</p>
<p>"by far the most critical stat is class rank (unless your school doesn't compute any sort of rank at all). "</p>
<p>Then it isnt the most critical stat if many schools dont compute it...
Also the AI is highly overrated by prospectives. It is not a be all-end all for students wishing to apply to an Ivy League school. It is simply an indicator of strong academic performance(such as the SATs themselves). Having a 9 on the AI does not guarentee admission nor does a 3 exclude it. And the difference between 1st and 6th out of 400 is negligible. Ivies reject so many valedictorians that they can look at applications as a whole and determine the students with the best fit at their university. </p>
<p>That is not to say that class rank is pointless, however. It indicates how well your grades stack up to those in your class, but it is by no means "the most critical stat".</p>
<p>So your point, randomperson, places an inordinate amount of importance on class rank which by your own admission is not computed by some schools. On the grade issue though, I do agree with most of the posters of this thread that one or two Bs will not hurt your application, but a C or many Bs could very well do some harm.</p>
<p>Also, a 4.0 isn't a guaranteed admit either, even coupled with a rigorous program. I think that as long as you have a good GPA, test scores etc, you are admittable, but it is your essays, hook, etc that gets you in.</p>
<p>hooks + ec + essays + whole load of luck and randomness = admit</p>
<p>What about good but non-IVY colleges? Would a couple of Cs or a D from a school with a strict marking policy in subjects unrelated to potential majors be an absolute disqualifier?</p>
<p>No C's or D's, but my son was admitted to UChicago with a 3.58 UW from a public hs that sends very few out of state, and fewer still to elites. Everything else on his application was good or very good, and, just as importantly, he was a very good intellectual fit with the school.</p>
<p>I would look at the selectivity of the school pretty carefully - a college that turns down 4 out of 5 applicants has to make the decision based on something, after all. A college that accepts more of its applicants is, in very general terms, in a better position overlook a wart or two if it likes a student otherwise. If a hyperselective school has two similar applicants, the one with the warts is more likely to be wl'd or rejected.</p>
<p>As long as the prospect is comfortable with applying to problematic schools, and has a solid base of likely admits, aiming high is ok.</p>
<p>At the Duke info session, one of the students asked the presenting adcom if they are looking for an upward trend, i.e. increasing grades with Junior year being most important. The adcom replied honestly: "We have more than enough applicants who did well all four years."</p>
<p>We worried too much about class rank...my son received honors admissions and two Reach admissions when kids who stayed at the top of class rank were passed over. One reason his rank was lower was that taking Strings classes (unweighted) means no chance at top ten in our school. Top ranked kids also avoided a year of advanced classes from teachers that handed out mainly Bs and Cs and he stuck it out and took the Bs.<br>
Looks like he made the right decisions. His passion for music and his essays and references from those tough teachers meant better outcomes. who knew. We really didn't know until it was over. My advice is to follow your passions, take the hardest classes, suck up a few Bs, and maintain your integrity at all costs. Your references will respect you for your choices, and they can sometimes be tipping factors that overcome rank.</p>
<p>"We have more than enough applicants who did well all four years."</p>
<p>Ouch!</p>
<p>I received my first "C" last year. You know why? Because I took the ABSOLUTE hardest math class available when I had a choice not to. Math, not being my strongest subject either! The teacher for the easier math class (still hard but not the hardest) was a terrible teacher and I told my g.c. that I would rather get a "C" (funny how I got it); than get an "A" from a teacher who couldn't teach and I wouldn't learn much. So, I got my "C" but learned a lot more than taking the other class and getting an "A".</p>
<p>worldshopper,
Be sure to include that story in your essays. Shows character!</p>
<p>It is a true story, I swear! I thought about using it in one of my essays but I did not want to come across as to why I had to write an essay to explain my one and only "C" ! I thought the adcom would look down on me for attempting to explain why I got "C".</p>