Agree on Duke.
Thank you for suggesting Vanderbilt - will check it out.
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Thanks so much for the detailed help!
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My son got a 4 in AP Physics 1 and 5âs in US History, Comp Science Principles and World History (world history was last year). He has a good SAT score (1560) and GPA (4.0/4.35) and good leadership (nothing crazy but strong). Some folks are telling us not to submit a 4 for AP Physics in his applications. He will be applying to Ivys and some of the reach business programs (Michigan, Berkeley, USC, UT-Austin, Vandebult, Northwestern). I find it hard to believe that schools like Penn, Yale etc. would consider a 4 on AP Physics as weak academically. Any inputs ?
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Hey neighbor Good luck to your daughter!
Yes NPC for Georgia Tech is to be done this week and our plan to tour it will depend on the result.
At least what I used to hear was 4s in tough STEM APs were good for non-STEM applicants. But this is not necessarily an area where I have seen admissions officers discuss such details a lot, and I guess a lot of people are concerned about any perceived imperfections. I still suspect that is being overly cautious, but I also suspect it is not a big deal either way.
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I can comment only from experience with my D18 which admittedly is quite some time ago. She was a non-STEM applicant and got 4 on the AP Physics 1 along with 5s on the Spanish Lit and APUSH. She then took 5 more APs in senior year but obviously these results were not out before the college decisions. We submitted all the scores available and she was accepted to 2 Ivies and Stanford. I donât think that a 4 in a subject that is not a primary interest and among other 5s will hurt anyone. AP Physics 1 is a difficult exam as it does not use calculus. Physics problems are meant to be solved with calculus
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They do not. Absolutely submit. Also, considering only 8% 5s he is in good company.
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D24 has been saying this out loud almost everyday when we try to initiate the conversation but she is very open with us about everything that happens around her when she is ready to talk. we just have to patiently wait for her to start spilling the beans 
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Same strategy we use! Just be available when they do want to talk.
Between us, I think kids who actually respect their parentsâ opinions (whether they admit it or not) often want to make sure they are presenting issues and concerns on their own, thoughtful terms, not in the form of answers to impromptu questions. Which makes total sense, actually.
Our HS (and at least one other around here )puts them all on the transcript so all are reported(and tests required to get the AP designation on the course etc). So find out if yours is the same. If it is not on the transcript , no need to report. Doubt it will matter for the majority of colleges. Super selective ones do use them as part of holistic admissions, and some even say they encourage reporting. However, that doesnât mean not reporting is a large ding against the applicant.
Submit the 4! APPhys1 is a difficult test, plus a 4 is an excellent score on any test!
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Our high school gives students the choice of whether or not their test scores are on the transcript. If you choose yes - every single standardized test will be listed.
Because of that - many if not most students/families choose to not have the transcript list test scores as they donât want to show all scores/all attempts.
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I think itâs really weird that some high schools include standardized test scores on the transcript. Why do they do that when most colleges accept scores self-reported elsewhere?
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In a test optional world that seems to put kids at a distinct disadvantage. Why would a school ever want to do that?
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Probably at one point it was considered a service and saved the reporting fees. It is quite expensive to send scores if you are applying to 10 or more schools
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S24âs school offers âCollege Levelâ courses instead of APsâŠ.supposed to be as rigorous as an AP course but not teaching to the test.
He is interested in some international schools that place a heavy (almost exclusive) emphasis on SAT/ACT and AP scores. So he self-studied for 5 AP exams.
Results were decent but not wonderful, as far as applying to international schools goes. He got 1 5, 2 4s and 2 3s. Iâm so proud of his initiative to self study for these exams (ALL him; we even tried to discourage him so he didnât overload himself).
Though schools like Oxford/Cambridge are now out of the question, a lot of international schools are still in play.
He also has a parallel US college list. I was surprised to read the above threads that students applying to top programs NOT submit 4sâŠ.? We were thinking heâd submit the 5 and the 4s but maybe not the 3s.
Since this was all self study and not from a course, would this change recommendations at all? One of his 4s is in one of his likely majors. But 100% self study, as his school doesnât currently offer psych courses.
No issue submitting the 4s.
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I have a merit aid spreadsheet and was checking schoolsâ websites yesterday for updated tuition, room & board #s given the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.
DH & I had temporarily forgotten how cheap NMSU would be for our kid. $15,563/yr for tuition, room & board w/her current stats (GPA + test scores) + AZ resident status. Thatâs ~$8200 cheaper per year than going to U of A.
DH said, âWith it being THAT cheap, we could put the extra $$ away so she could use it for grad school.â
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ED1 college costs $120K+ total for 4 years MORE than ED2 college.
Iâve offered DD2024 the $120K delta, to squander, to buy all the boba tea she wants, as a down-payment for a condo, etc, if she would choose not to apply to ED1 college,
but everyone is telling me that she should be able to go for her #1 college choice.
Big brother 2022 got to go for his #1 college, so should she.
sighâŠeveryone is against me.
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Sara Harberson basically says to be cautious about submitting 4âs to highly selective schools. We arenât subscribers and arent advocating or advising anyone to use her services. However, we do watch her Facebook and Instagram webinars. I usually watch as my wife falls asleep every time within the first 10 minutes Sara starts talking (we dont know why but she should record her voice for imsomniacs).
She does have a pretty wide following. Of course we all know this process is an art and not a science so itâs hard to say whether a 4 on AP test helps, hurts, or is completely neutral, especially given the million other variables that goes into an application because every studentâs record, ECâs, essays, and recommendations are different so thereâs no definitive answer.
We dont know her sources and cant verify anything she says is actually correct but itâs also hard to disprove it as well.
The honest answer is no one really knows for sure how an AO will view it and no one has a definitive idea of how itâll be viewed within the totality of the circumstances.
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