So, I did not realize that final exam scores were important for admission - at all. I was not even planning to send Harvard my IB scores, but I just realized that I had to. I was out of town all of April for college visits and academic competitions (I had five round-trip flights that month, I was only at school for a total of about 2 weeks, broken up) and missed most of the review for exams. When I got home, I was exhausted and couldn’t study - often finding myself sleeping instead of looking over material for my exams. Granted, I could have worked harder/managed my schedule better if I really wanted to (or were scared enough to), but I still would have been hurt by the lack of review time I had during April.
I do not feel good about my performance on the exams at all. I was worried about getting the IB diploma - but after getting recent information from an admissions officer saying that our IB/AP scores should be “consistent” with our previous performance, I realized that the diploma is the least of my worries. I am not sure what my predicted score is, but I am confident that it is above a 37 based on the scores that I am aware of.
I know that my exam scores are much lower than that.
What should I do? My grades are okay - my senior year GPA is a 3.5 unweighted, and a 4.0 weighted (5 points added to each IB grade). I still finished in the top 10 of my class. I’m very worried about my IB exam scores. Should I contact my admissions officer? Or just wait it out in case they end up not saying anything? Is there anything at all that I could do at this point?
@helenU - I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t think it is an issue. I know Harvard expects to see your final school report, but do they even require incoming freshmen to send IB scores? My daughter did the IB last year and I don’t believe she sent her scores - there was no point in doing that. She did send her AP report so she could qualify for advanced standing.
For peace of mind, you may want to touch base with your admissions officer, and explain what happened. I think that Harvard is going to use your exam results really only for course placement. There is no indication that poor results would result in rescission. I’m more familiar with APs, and I know there is no penalty for poor scores on these exams (although, then, they can’t count toward Advanced Standing)…
@notjoe Thank you, I will plan to do that. And, are you sure about there not being a penalty for poor AP scores? If so, I think I’ve regained a bit of hope.
Many AP tests are taken by folks well after the admission decision is made. Harvard doesn’t make retroactive admissions decisions based on those results. But please contact your admissions officer. Hearing it from the official source will put your mind at ease.
I don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I’m in the same boat. My grades have slipped from 90s-100s freshmen through junior year to 80s-90s senior year. I really hope the admissions office won’t ask too many questions.
Stop freaking out. Harvard does not want students who freak out at the drop of a hat. LIFE does not want PEOPLE who freak out at the drop of a hat. I know you’ve worked hard to get here. But you’ve got to chill sometime. Try now.