<p>really, my quater grades have so many B’s but my overall for freshmen is A’s. I am gonnas cry now. :'(</p>
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<p>Debate, Creative Writing, Varsity Swimming, and FBLA - all for four years. I’m captain of Debate and Varsity Swimming already, and Vice President of FBLA, hopefully Prez next year. For creative writing, I’ve written 2 novels and over 100 publish-worthy poems.</p>
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<p>I took Political Science and Intro to Philosophy, and earned a 4.0 in both which only 3-4 people did in classes of around 20 (these were all college students). Would those seriously be considered ‘fluff’ classes?</p>
<p>Oh wow. CC classes are not “fluff” classes. That’s a load of crap. Not everyone can take a class and easily get a 4.0. The AdCom will see that you’re trying to challenge yourself by taking college classes.</p>
<p>Are you going to send your publications as supplements?</p>
<p>decresendo - Don’t worry about it. Poli Sci and Philosophy both require extensive amounts of reading and writing. I’m talking about obvious BS like Gardening 101. (Yes, that’s a real course offered at my local CC…that a classmate actually took.)</p>
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<p>I’d like to hear you say something truthful now :)</p>
<p>In the ideal situation, adcoms “will see that you’re trying to challenge yourself”, but that is definitely a subjective case at the top, HYPSM-level schools. Sure, any type of CC class is amazing for a Tier 2 applicant because CC classes are not common for those applicant pools. However, when you’re competing against other highly qualified students for a spot at the most selective schools, CC classes are not outstanding, especially if they are in Underwater Basketweaving and Child Development (or any other course where the class has nothing to do with your interests or is considered easy. Think Linear Algebra vs. Gardening 101). It is not uncommon for HYPSM applicants to boost their ranks by taking a slew of easy yet AP-weighted classes. Adcoms are aware. But if you took the classes because you exhausted the curriculum at school (MV Calc, Applied Economics, etc after finishing AP Calc BC, AP Micro/Macro) or were looking to further your interests (kid who does scientific research on stingrays takes Oceanology).</p>
<p>miss_murd3r - Because I’m sure you’re just /dying/ to flood my inbox with personal attacks disguised as oh-so-sweet PMs, I welcome you to do so :)</p>
<p>hey guys- so if you take a class at a CC, it boosts your gpa?</p>
<p>^ Depends on your school’s CC policy. Some schools weigh them like APs. Others don’t factor them into GPA. Even others count them as regular classes. Your best bet is to check with your GC first. Don’t take CC classes with the pure intention to boost your GPA though (if you are considering HYPSM-level schools). Again, overdone. Adcoms will easily see through your transparent motives. But if you want to consider CCs to further your interests or expand on your knowledge, as I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, go for it!</p>
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<p>Thanks. That’s a relief. Those were some of the toughest classes offered; there was 400 pages of reading per week for PolySci, and some pretty difficult stuff for Philosophy (we even did a little bit of Kant and Nietzche - in an intro class!). But yeah, that’s what I hoped would happen.</p>
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<p>I’ve still got a while to decide; I don’t send in my first app til a year and a half from now. (November 2011 for Stanford SCEA). But I think I’ll submit 2 or 3 poems of mine, or a chapter from one my novels; not sure which yet.</p>
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<p>I was debating being a PolySci major, which is why I took that course, and I absolutely loved it. So that’s a definite possibility. Philosophy I took only because I was very interested in the subject after having learned quite a bit about it in debate.</p>
<p>Decrescendo; Ohhh right! I forgot you were going to be a Junior! Well, it will certainly come across as very impressive that you got a 4.0 in both of those demanding classes. Keep it up! Definitely send a supplement of your writing to schools.</p>
<p>oh… well, if my school weighs it as an ap, i don’t think it would hurt to take a class in microbiology or physiology or anatomy, right? especially if I want to be a doctor? sorry, off-topic… but i didn’t know this…</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, what courses did you get the B’s in, OP?</p>
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<p>Biology 1 and Geometry. 
It was bad. I wasn’t the most studious freshman, if you catch my drift. I live in Louisiana, and I never saw an out-of-state college as an option until I got a 2180 on the SAT halfway through sophomore year.
I was alot more responsible sophomore year and got a 4.0, and then decided to take those two courses. My friends say I’m crazy for doing it, but it was pretty fun haha. This year, I’ve got three AP’s (APUSH, English Language, and Physics B), the only junior to take three, so that should be good.
Also, I’m a middle-class Hispanic, so… I’m hoping Affirmative Action will help me out a bit. :)</p>
<p>Depending where you apply, location can play to your advantage as well.</p>
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<p>I was hoping that as well. :)</p>
<p>Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Brown might give me an extra look, since I doubt that they get a sizable number of applicants from Louisiana, especially the rural part that I’m from. Rice and Vanderbilt, unfortunately, get alot of Louisiana applicants, so no advantage there.</p>