So I’ll just get right to the point. I’m a junior and last year all of my classes were 95+ in terms of grades, or a little less. This was with one AP class, World History, the only AP class offered to sophomores. This year, I’m taking 4 APs and I like all of them, they’re all important to me, etc. I also skipped a math class (Pre-Calc to AP Calc AB) and a physics class (non-AP Physics to AP Phyiscs I/II) so I’m not necessarily “cruising” anymore.
The only problem is I’m not getting the 98’s in math that I used to or the 97’s I got in English. I have several arts classes and I get about 97 in all of them so my GPA itself is great, but not if you look closely. All of my AP classes are weighted, so my average went from a 97 or so to 100+, but my unweighted GPA went down by A LOT.
I’m obviously trying to get my grades up (I’ve been stage managing a show from Sept. - Dec. and it’s hard to balance rehearsals and school) but if I don’t get them up will my chances for college be hurt? I’m trying for top-tier schools like UChicago and Johns Hopkins.
How much is A LOT? Are you talking about 4 Bs? Or even lower? Yes, if your junior grades drop significantly (and I don’t mean 2 Bs - but yes, 4 Bs) it could potentially hurt your chances of admission at highly selective places like JHU and U Chicago and no, your EC (the show you are stage managing) will not get you a pass on lower grades.
That means you have a few choices to make. You can accept that the lower grades are the price for the kind of social engagement you want in high school and it may mean you don’t get into the highly selective schools you want. That’s not an unreasonable decision.
Or you power up by working even harder - getting tutoring, meeting with teachers when you don’t get something, studying with a friend who is making an A, getting another textbook to supplement the one you are using, etc…It means less sleep and continued pressure. Can you cope?
Or you can drop down from AP to a less demanding level in 2 of the 4 AP courses so your work load better fits your life. That’s a reasonable trade-off too.
Or you giving a lot less time to the school show, which simply may not be possible.
So, time to face the trade-offs and make some decisions.
Top schools care very much about course rigor. They’ll notice if you’re just “cruising,” so you’re doing the right thing to challenge yourself. If your weighted average is above 100, you’re in the right classes.
It’s hard to get into those schools even with a perfect GPA. Do the ECs that make you happy and that will help – passion shows.