So Im taking both AP bio and history as a Junior, and so far my estimate for my final grade in AP bio will be a B- to a B, and in AP history a B to a B+. Assuming this does happen and I get 4-5s on the AP exams, will it still look good for top colleges? It isnt possible for me to get an A as my average for these classes so this is the best I can hope for. I also have good extracurriculars and a 1570 SAT score so far, and hopefully a 4-5 on the AP exams. So, what are my chances at a top school.
Definition of “top school”?
At the most competitive or selective colleges, you will have plenty of competition from students who took the hardest courses and earned A grades in them (and 5 scores if they were AP courses taken in 11th grade or earlier).
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You need to be sure to apply to at least one and preferably two solid safeties. Definitely take your budget into account.
If you also want to apply to reaches that is fine. However, the very top universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford level) will have lots of applicants who have A’s in AP classes.
You should also expect that classes at the top ranked universities are going to be more difficult than high school AP classes. There are students at these top schools who need to figure out rather quickly how to study when the classes get tougher than anything they saw in high school.
I’m pretty certain that there have been students admitted to every school in the country with two Bs on their transcript.
“Will it still look good”? Well, As would look better, that’s just how it is.
But a college application has many parts. And of the (important) GPA part, one class is something like 1/20 to 1/30 of your transcript. So it’s not meaningless, but it’s small. No abs would be better. Three Bs would be worse, 4 worse, etc., etc. - it’s a continuum.
An AP score won’t “make up for” or “offset” (two terms I’ve seen in the past) a grade, but they will provide a positive data point.
Your chances at “a top schools” depends on the school, and there are many, many factors that go into an admission decision. Two Bs don’t dis aqua lift you - it makes the application margin less attractive. But many students with Bs are admitted to top schools and many, many students with 4.0s are rejected.
At this point, do the best that you can and look forward.