Is getting A-'s considered a downward trend?

Applying to College
1

My high school does grading that adjusts for A-, A, and A+. Here is the scale.

90-94 A-
95-97 A
98-100 A+

The adjustment shows up in the calculated GPA but mine is still good.

I have always gotten straight A’s, never less. However, I have a mix of all three types of A’s. Freshman year I was getting mostly A and A-. Sophomore year I was only getting A and A+. Junior year I am getting a mix of all three (which I’m worried about because I don’t want to show a downward trend, but my courseload is more rigorous. I only have three A- though).

I know that a downward trend like going from A’s to B’s is unfavorable. But what about going from A/A+ to A/A-? Is this still considered a downward trend and will hurt my chances? Or is a downward trend only talking about the letter grade itself?

2

the A-'s I have junior year are all AP though.

3

I think it does count as a downward trend, but the impact it has on your admissions chances is near-negligible.

4

Yes it does if your gpa is calculated that way. Some schools report only the grades, not the Pluses and minuses. If your school shows those on the transcript , they will be noted by the colleges.

5

Adcoms st competitive colleges look at the transcript.

An A is an A is an A.

But rather than freak over this very minor difference, build your knowledge of what does matter to your targets, what they do look for. It’s much more helpful to your chances.

6

Is this a literal dictionary definition of terms? Yes.

Is this what adcoms mean by downward trend? No.

Coursework gets more complex beyond sophomore year, and grading usually reflects that. Wait until you get tocollege, and there will be some courses in which you will be grateful to have received an A-.

7

I don’t think that should be an issue, especially if you had more challenging courses junior year.

8

I think they are happy you are getting As. You are taking harder courses but still getting As.

9

I should have been more specific on the thread question. Although my own school has an A-, A, A+ system, these letter grades aren’t on the official transcript. The only thing that shows up on the transcript is the final number grade (93, 98, 97, etc, no letters or +/-).

My real question was basically: will colleges take notes that i got a few “lower” A’s? For example going from 95-100 average sophomore year to a 93-97 average junior year (assuming that i do better senior year). Or are they just okay with getting A’s and don’t care if they were high or low?

10

If it really comes down to choosing an A student over an A- student, unless it is a “rack & stack” school, more likely the decision will be based on the rest of the application (the ECs, the LORs, the essay, etc.).

11

OP, at your school, 90-94 is an A-.
Good enough. They’ll just look for grades 90+. It may be something you fret over, but easy for an adcom.

Time to stop obsessing and get back to work. You have much more to consider and take care of than A- grades.