I'm going to get a B! Am I going to ruin my chances at a selective college?

Applying to College
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<p>I'm a sophomore at a fairly competitive high school; first in my class. It's becoming depressingly clear to me that I can't get an A for this last quarter in my AP Biology class. The chance is close to 0. How will this affect my chances at Ivies in the future? I'm Asian, too, so I don't think this bodes very well for me. :/</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>1 B in an AP bio class likely won’t be the reason you would get rejected if you do
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<p>Allie: you’re telling us you think top colleges only accept 4.0 students? Is that your thinking?</p>

<p>I get the whole “freak out” thing. An exploding fertilizer plant or even some lesser tragedy – OK</p>

<p>Doing it over a single B? It is eye-roll inducing.</p>

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<p>uhh, seeing that a kid with a 3.5 got accepted to cornell from our school, I wouldn’t worry. Oh, and a 3.8 to Harvard.</p>

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<p>Well, it’s only the final grade that counts.</p>

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<p>I’m sure ONE B in ONE SEMESTER of your sophomore year will not lower your chances of getting into an ivy league at all. The way I understand it, once you are at that qualified level ( 4.3+ WGPA 2250 SAT), its pretty much a lottery. Please relax, and try not to tell any of your peers this problem. I’d be pretty mad if some girl came up to me complaining about how a B in one semester was going to ruin her.</p>

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<p>Lol one B? Chill. Look at the stats threads. Anything less than a 4.0 means that person got a B.</p>

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<p>I’m just worried because all the previous valedictorians at my school for the past four years have gotten all A’s. :(</p>

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<p>Relax and apply some critical thinking skills. You’re a smart girl. Do you REALLY think that no one with below a 4.0 EVER gets into any decent college?</p>

1 Like
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<p>Re: competitive high school.</p>

<p>I guess it seems petty to all of you guys; but doesn’t everyone want that shiny A (minus) rather than the depressing B+ on their transcript?</p>

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<p>I got two B’s and was nearly rejected/waitlisted from every single school I applied to (save for 1).</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>

Yes but many people also have the perspective to realize that a B+ and the phrase “ruin my chances” have no common sense relation to one another.</p>

<p>Don’t you see how you’re coming across??? That’s what’s driving people crazy about your post allie — and the fact that you don’t have the awareness about it. </p>

<p>You better come out of your bubble quickly because with that “depressing B+” mentality, you can be pretty sure you’re off-putting to others. The ability to positively influence others is a characteristic that’s highly valued by selective college admissions. Be more Leonard Hofstader and less Sheldon Cooper.</p>

<p>@arghfrustrated: well I had more than 2 Bs but was accepted at every school applied including multiple ivies – one case does not qualify for generalized evidence</p>

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<p>allie</p>

<p>Let me share a story with you. My eldest D mostly brough home A’s. For entire semester, Honors Physics was impossible for her. She literally stayed up till 1am, two or three nights a week trying to understand it. Unfortunately, her midterm grade was a C+. When she showed me the report card and I saw he grade, I told her that I was prouder of her for that C+ than I was for most of her A’s because I knew how hard she had to work for it.</p>

<p>My advice to you and all students – work your hardest and do your best. If you’re putting in your maximum effort and get a B – you should still be proud of that grade, because you’ve done all you can do.</p>

<p>As for college – work your hardest and these things will end up fine.</p>

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<p>Hard too say but consider getting a ‘B’ like using up one of your 2-3 possible non-A spots on your transcipt. It also depends whether this will show up on your transcript - what’s your final grade going to be (no pun intended).</p>

<p>Also, I suggest you get over Ivyitis - see this excerpt on the topic:</p>

<p>[Tackling</a> College Admissions: Sanity + Strategy=Success - Cheryl Paradis, Faren R. Siminoff - Google Books](<a href=“Tackling College Admissions: Sanity + Strategy=Success - Cheryl Paradis, Faren R. Siminoff - Google Books”>Tackling College Admissions: Sanity + Strategy=Success - Cheryl Paradis, Faren R. Siminoff - Google Books)</p>

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<p>You guys don’t realize OP is Asian. There IS a 4.0 culture among us
not surprised at all by this. Even A- is on the fence.</p>