Hello!
I got a bad AP Physics teacher. In her 16 years of teaching less than 5 people have gotten and A. The person who placed in the international physics olympiad got a 92 in her class.
In my additional information section I think I’m going to write something like this:
I received a low score in AP Physics because of the additional stress I had and mental health issues. I wasn’t able to do well on the assessments even though I studied constantly and did my work. I also had a hard time adapting to my teacher’s teaching style as the tests would focus on topics we hadn’t learned yet. I feel this doesn’t show my AP Physics potential as I took AP Physics from Rice University and received an A+. Furthermore, during eighth grade, I took IPC Honors which taught me the first semester of AP Physics and received an A+. I am also doing a year long physics course from MIT called “Learn physics just like an MIT freshman” and have so far received an A+.
Is this okay? I don’t want to come off as arrogant or put the blame on the teacher. I want to make it seem like I take complete blame and that it is my fault.
I am NOT including the following, but just to inform you about what happened during the class.
-We would learn chapter 10, but the teacher would print the wrong test and give us the chapter 13 test- she told us it was fine and would give a curve (the curve was 3 points and the average was a 45%)
-Typos in the questions like meters instead of mass which would make the questions impossible (she didn’t care and said that mistakes happen & kept the questions in).
I went to every lunch session she had, got a AP Physics tutor, formed a study group, did the entire Khan Academy course twice, and went to the other AP Physics teacher’s classes and tutorials. I did everything I could, but still got a bad grade.
I will not be filing a complaint or anything of that sort because the last student who filed a complaint against a teacher went from straight As to straight Cs. I might tell my counselor to mention how AP Physics is the hardest class at my school, but nothing else.
Not a good idea. You ARE making excuses and blaming the teacher. I suggest you talk to your GC and explain that situation. If it is indeed true that teacher so rarely gives As and is that hard on the students, the GC should include that info in the School LOR. It would have impact coming from the GC, but could hurt you app, coming from you. You are a dime a dozen in your complaints.
No, I don’t think this is OK.
If you had mental health challenges during the year, your guidance counselor should address it in their LOR, not you…
If you took college classes, you need to submit those transcripts. Colleges will see your grades from the Rice and MIT courses and make their own assessment.
IMO, this sentence would be a big red flag to colleges: " I also had a hard time adapting to my teacher’s teaching style as the tests would focus on topics we hadn’t learned yet." You are going to be tested in college on topics not covered in class. You are going to need to take the information and apply it to novel problems/questions. It sounds like this “bad” teacher is really just preparing you for what to expect in college.
What was your grade in the class? What score did you get on the AP Physics test?
How is it that you also took AP Physics at Rice?
It does sound like you were in a challenging situation, and you will have more of those in college and then IRL.
To directly answer your question, I would not write what you have proposed in the additional information section. It is virtually impossible for a student to write about a bad teacher and have it not sound like making excuses and/or complaining. I would ask your GC to cover this situation, if it is indeed a known issue at your school.
Here are a couple of thoughts I had when reading what you proposed to write:
“stress and mental health issues”- You make it sound like these things did not impact your other classes, which is curious. If they didn’t, why didn’t they? If they did, have you (or your GC) covered that elsewhere in your app?
“Had a hard time adapting to my teacher’s style”- this will be a red flag to AOs because you do have to be adaptable. And you will have profs with many different teaching styles.
Have you talked with your GC about this yet? I am interested in what they say and also in reading what other CC posters think.
“Telling” your counselor to mention that the AP physics class is the hardest at school isn’t likely to work out in your favor.
Your grades are your responsibility. AP classes are meant to be college-level courses. Sounds to me like your teacher is trying to prepare her students for the rigor of college courses. Have you considered that maybe physics is just really hard for you? Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you don’t do as well as you hoped to in a class.
In my experience it is very very VERY rare that a teen can “explain” something in the additional info section without sounding like they are making excuses or whining… From this posr, you are not the exception. I can’t see even asking your GC to mention this as no prefdssional would throw his colleague under the bus. Boo hoo. You had a bad teacher. Wait until you have a bad professor or a bad boss.
On a side note, there is nothing urgent about your question so I edited your clickbait header.
Writing that in your application would be seen as a red flag, if not a negative, on your application. It would be seen as making excuses, which is not a good look.
If you have true mental health issues, your guidance counselor should be familiar with that and you may ask him to include a note about it in his letter of recommendation.
So what can you do about your teacher? There are several options. You can do your best in the class, ask for extra help, ask for an appointment outside of class to go over wrong test answers or anything else you don’t understand. If your parents can afford it, you could hire a tutor. Also, buy some prep books and study for the AP test hard, outside of class. Use Khan Academy. Etc.
You choose how you react to the teacher. If you charge into the school year thinking she’s a monster, you’re probably going to struggle all year. If you go in knowing she is a fellow human who wants to help you, and recognizing that she is a professional whose job it is to teach you to understand the material (and it is your right and duty to call on her when you don’t), you’re going to get a better result. Ignore what other kids have said about her. Have the right mindset, give her a fair chance, and then make up your own mind.
CC posters have advised kids that, even if you don’t feel you did well, you may be able to ask your guidance counselor or your teacher how you did relative to the rest of the class. It is possible you can get a B- and still be #1 or #2 in the class. If that’s the case, you could ask your guidance counselor to mention that in his letter of recommendation. It takes a little of the sting off when colleges know you performed comparatively well.
You may also consider taking the class from an online high school. You would have to pay for it. There are pros and cons to making that decision, but given how many kids are e-learning this year, it probably won’t raise many eyebrows.
@cptofthehouse Thanks for the advice! My counselor will mention it on her LoR she already told me that she will. I completely understand should I state anything? What should I write instead to not blame the teacher.
@momofsenior1 The classes were taken through EdX. If the teacher gave me a chapter 13 test and we were on chapter 10 how was I supposed to prepare? I don’t think the teacher is preparing me for college I think she is just trying to be mean for the sake of being mean. I mean really giving us the wrong test. I stated “We would learn chapter 10, but the teacher would print the wrong test and give us the chapter 13 test- she told us it was fine and would give a curve (the curve was 3 points and the average was a 45%.” I agree that line sounds like a red flag how can I phrase it nicely? I was trying not to focus the blame on the teacher and make it seem like it was my fault that she gave us a test on something that was 3 chapters ahead.
@Mwfan1921 Thanks for your kind words. The class was really hard to get through. I ended with a B don’t remember the exact grade. I did well in all my other classes (2 APs and 4 honors). I did not take the AP physics test yet- will take that at the end next year since the teacher didn’t teach me anything. I took the Rice & MIT classes with EdX. I think I just got really stressed out during Physics because of the large about of physics and had a few anxiety attacks because of physics. They will not be covered else in my application as I don’t want anyone else to know and I’m kind of embarrassed. I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed about mental health but there is so much stigma. How can I phrase it so I take complete blame. but also provide a clear explanation. I think if I highlight injustice that I faced it will just seem like I’m complaining, but I was genuinely working my butt off- “I went to every lunch session she had, got a AP Physics tutor, formed a study group, did the entire Khan Academy course twice, and went to the other AP Physics teacher’s classes and tutorials. I did everything I could, but still got a bad grade.” Once again thanks for your advice!
@Lindagaf Before this class Physics was my thing. I got a A+ in IPC Honors, an A+ at Rice (way harder), and have a A+ in an MIT course (super super super hard). I mean she gave us the wrong test. I stated “We would learn chapter 10, but the teacher would print the wrong test and give us the chapter 13 test- she told us it was fine and would give a curve (the curve was 3 points and the average was a 45%.” I know my grades are my responsibility as I previously mentioned I did every single thing I could. I even tutored students as a part time job so I could afford to pay my AP Physics tutor. I didn’t miss a single assignment and studies a week in advance for each test. I mean it was like she would teach us about one dimensional acceleration (chapter 1) and then questions would be centripetal force (chapter 4).
@skieurope I completely understand. I am not asking my counselor to throw my teacher under the bus. She has already stated that she will mention that it is a very rigorous course. How can I mention things politely?
@Groundwork2022 I want to know how I can write it properly without seeming like I am making excuses. I genuinely tried my best and worked really hard. She would tell us things like the test is on chapter 5 and the tests would be on chapter 10. Chapter 5 is the 1st semester and chapter 10 is semester 2. I don’t want to come off as wining/ complaining . My GC does not know anything about my mental health issues only my pediatrician and my family. I literally did everything you listed. I don’t think of the teacher as a monster or anything of that sort. I have nothing against her, but I don’t think it is okay for her to tell us the test is on chapter 5 and then it is on chapter 10. I already took the class and got a B.
A B in AP Physics is fine. Don’t freak out
@chardonMN Thanks! Should I state anything in my additional information section?
Christmas is coming early if your GC mentions that it is a rigorous course. ** You** mention nothing. No positives will come from your explanations and AOs are likely to roll their eyes at any explanation for a B. Move on. Devote the energy you are putting into this thread into your essays instead; the ROI is greater.
You just finished your freshman year of high school. You have a long way to go before you have to fill out college apps. If you’re not handling stress well maybe you need to take a step back and focus on something other than elite school admissions.
@skieurope Okay I will not mention anything since my counselor will mention it. I think in the additional information section I will put the classes I took outside of school and try to emphasize my high grades in the other physics classes I took.
@austinmshauri This is my friend’s account lol. I’m a senior. Why would a freshman take AP Physics.
Sharing accounts violates Terms of Service. Closing thread