For AP chemistry, my teacher gave everyone 105 as a final grade since we didn’t learn anything all year and this teacher was the third teacher hired. Long story short: at the beginning of the year, a teacher was fired, then a replacement was found, then she was fired, then another replacement was found who gave everyone 105 in the class. Will colleges think it’s bad that I got a good grade in the class but not the exam? Is there any way I can make a side note on the application in explanation? ALSO, I’m a sophomore and if I take 8 more AP classes and make all 5s and 4s , could I get National AP scholar if all my test scores average to a 4?
You can look up the requirements for National AP Scholar. It’s not a college tip. You haven’t mentioned possible college targets and yes, that can matter. But top colleges will see the discrepancy. And, if you want a STEM major at a top or tippy top college, the 3 score can be an issue.
I see no good way you can explain that you got an A+ because, “we didn’t learn anything all year.” Your GC can mention teacher issues in his/her letter. But it might be hard to go on to rave about your performance in this chem class.
First off, do not make excuses about the AP test score on the common app.
Secondly, you don’t need to report AP scores as part of your common app. You would just send scores to the school where you are matriculating (AFTER you’ve been accepted and deposited).
Yes you could still get national AP scholar but you don’t need to do that for college admission purposes. 6-8 APs is plenty.
Top adcoms do look for AP scores. One has to imagine an adcom wondering why, if a stem major is wanted, the applicant got a top grade, why a kid wouldn’t report the AP score. It can leave a gap in the info they review, the picture they get.
Entirely different, if OP is not a stem wannabe. And of course, no idea what the targets will be
In addition to the good advice above:
AP National Scholar - “average at least a score of 4 in all the AP exams they take and score 4 or more in at least 8 of these exams.“
So yes, you would need a 4 or 5 on 8 other APs, and to average slightly above 4 on them. (4.125 if you take 8 more).
If I was in your position, I would not submit the 3. Better to have them wonder if you had a bad test day than to confirm the grade inflation that clearly happened in your chemistry class. If you are a STEM hopeful, consider taking (and perform well on) the SAT II subject test in chemistry. Having three different teachers over the course of one year is not a great recipe for high performance on the AP exam. Don’t beat yourself up too much.
First off, I’m sorry about your hectic experience with AP Chem. Something similar happened to me for an AP I was taking this year: my teacher was fired for perverted tendencies right in the middle of the school year. A solid month elapsed of school officials running around like mad trying to reassure students… my class didn’t learn jack ■■■■ during that month and the recuperation period after didn’t convince us otherwise. This class also ended up being an easy A for most of us as well, but DO NOT explain it on your resume. College admissions people likely won’t care, and it’ll only make your grades look as if they are over-inflated loads of crap. If I were you, I would just not send those particular AP scores to your college of choice.