I am currently a junior looking to apply to some top schools next year. Muy act is strong (34) as are my ECs. however, my GPA is holding me back, specifically from freshman year.
The reason for this is I decided to take all honors (the most rigorous offered) freshman year. At my school, the Honors English and History classes are extremely tough (I took AP English and history sophomore year and they are comparably difficult) and as I was just a freshman, I got a B both semesters which is considered a good grade in those classes. However, this is unfair as the regular English history for 9th grade are a total joke. I heard you can just do nothing, turn in a few home works, and u get an A. I find this especially unfair as the classes are “honors not AP” so some may not take that seriously.
Assuming I get all As next semester (as I did sophomore and junior year first sem), I will get a 3.88 UW GPA, quite impressive given my tough courseload. However, if I had taken regular LASS freshman year I would have a 4.0 easily. This is a HUGE difference at top schools and may easily and could possibly make a person go from acccepted to rejected.
What do you guys think?
Thanks
I think there were students in your rigorous classes who got A’s that first year. I think you made the decision to take those rigorous classes. I think you are belly aching-complaining about your own decisions. Nobody forced you to take the most rigorous classes (APs) . You took them because you wanted the benefits people said come with them. The benefits come with them because they are rigorous. You don’t get the AP distinction without it also being rigorous. Key is “I decided…” Yup you did.
I’m not sure what you are asking here. Obviously a 4.0 is higher than a 3.8. You mention that the honors is easy compared to the APs. Well someone in honors may get a B and complain that they’d have an A if only they took regular. Students generally know what these classes are all about in their own schools and they make choices. Not everyone gets an A in all classes. You didn’t. But you did well. What is the issue here?
An unweighted 3.88 is quite respectable and you will get weighted more heavily for AP courses, correct? How did you do on the AP exams associated with those courses?
Your guidance counselor should indicate that you took the most rigorous course load available. And if your school ranks based on weighted GPA, then that will further put your performance in the context of your school. I agree that there’s no use stressing about it now; just focus on maintaining good grades in all your current classes.
What’s done is done. Many colleges don’t care as much about freshman grades, so you need to figure out how to tell a good story about this (rather than whining.) Along the lines of…
You embraced a challenge in taking these classes. They represented a new and different kind of rigor. You figured it out and did better in the subsequent years. In fact, they prepared you so that you got As in your AP classes (and hopefully, 4 or 5 on the exams.) You may not ace your first year of college either, but it won’t spook you. You know how to learn to improve.