Hi! Hopefully I’m putting this question in the correct forum…
I understand that Harvard’s dean of admissions (Mr. Fitzsimmons) wrote back in 2009 that AP Scores are heavily considered in the academic portion of the application (please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe AP > SATI/II for Harvard) as they reflected academic success at Harvard.
My question is: Should I report this score to Harvard in light of the rest of my “package”? Hopefully from what I have presented, I am more devoted to becoming a physician-scientist giving back to my community as opposed to a mechanic or math genius, so that might diminish the 3 a little, but certainly not eliminate it if I were to report it.
I’m not sure what 3s are in the eyes of the elite institutions (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, U Penn, etc.), so a knowledgable input on this would be very much appreciated. I would also like to point out that Physics 2 is a newly administered test (if it does anything).
While I’m at it, are 4s considered “neutral” in the eyes of top institution admissions officers?
You self report your AP scores, and even then, admissions counselors just glance through them. Maybe you had a bad day. Maybe your house caught on fire. Its only one test. So much more goes into Ivy League admissions than test scores.
Relax man! Everything is gonna be alright. You won’t get denied at Harvard based on this one test alone. AP tests do not matter as much as you think in the eyes of admission officers.
The College Board automatically sends an official AP score report to a college’s registrar’s office, which holds your scores until you matriculate. The College Board does not, and will not, send AP scores to an Admissions Office.
That’s why student’s are instructed to “self-report” their AP scores on the Common Application.
If your AP classes will appear on your transcript, all colleges expect you to have taken the corresponding AP test, as it’s the culmination of an AP class. If you don’t self-report your AP test results, Admissions may assume one of three things:
(a) You couldn’t afford to take the AP tests
(b) You didn’t take the test because you didn’t care enough
(c) You took the AP tests and scored badly – as in you got a 1.
While the first explanation is acceptable and can be easily verified if you apply for a fee-waiver for a college’s applications fee, the other two are not.
So, my recommendation is to always self-report all your AP test scores and let the chips fall where they may, as you don’t want colleges to think you are a slacker or that you scored a 1.
I wouldn’t send your scores. Only send them if they help your application. Otherwise, not doing so will not hurt you. Particularly since you don’t get any credit at Harvard for AP’s.
I do want to show them that I did well with biology and chem (since my leaning is toward medicine/etc.) and I honestly don’t think they’ll mind seeing a few fours either.
It’s just the 3 in a new Physics 2 test that I’m not sure about. I see from a quick browsing of your threads that you got into harvard; did you send your scores (and if you were in my shoes would you have sent all the other scores except this score in particular)?
@gibby I took Physics 1 and 2 this year, and got a 4 on Physics 1, which I wouldn’t mind adding to my common app since I’m not looking to go into any field that uses a lot of physics. It’s that 3 that in my mind sticks out like a sore thumb.
^^ Again, if an AP Class appears on your transcript, colleges expect to see the self-reported score. If you fail to report the score, it appears as though you are hiding something – and you are. That’s a misrepresentation by omission. And, IMHO, it doesn’t speak well to your integrity and honesty, and doesn’t exemplify the kind of student the ivies are looking for. My advice is to submit all your AP scores. If you are rejected, it will not be because you scored a 3 on one AP test.
Full disclosure: My son was rejected at Harvard with a 36 ACT, 8 AP tests all with 5’s, 6 SAT Subject tests all 750+. If Harvard doesn’t want you, they don’t want you – and as my son’s scores indicate, their rejection has little to do with test scores.
Ah, okay. I don’t want to compromise integrity because I didn’t send a 3 on a Physics 2 test, haha. Thanks gibby!
Edit: Yeah… it really is a luck of the draw when only ~2000 kids out of many more extremely over-the-top qualified applicants can get in. But then again, a college is a college, I ultimately just want to make sure I can get the career I want to have (but it’s competitive), haha.
I self-reported three threes and two fives and I was admitted RD c/o 2019. I also didn’t take the tests for some AP classes that are on my transcript. Don’t fret.