Student A shows mastery of 5 AP courses but 1 where he is somewhat lacking.
Student B shows mastery of 3 and decency in the other 3
Do colleges have a clear preference? And why?
This question doesn’t have an easy answer. There are tooooooo many variables. Who writes the better essays? Who is a minority? Who has better teacher recs? Who is a great athlete? Who has worked all through HS and still managed to do well? The list is endless.
I would think student A would have a better chance at colleges that are very stats driven, such as CalTech. Most colleges are not as stats driven as that one. However, if you are putting all top colleges together in the same category, there are too many other factors at stake, chiefly test scores and ECs. If student A has a perfect ACT score and a bunch of boring ECs and typically plays an instrument to a high level, and student B has very good scores too, even if not as high as student A, but has really interesting ECs and can demonstrate that, then student B could very easily trump student A. Add in all that stuff I mentioned above, and tons of other factors, and at the very top colleges, much of it is a crap shoot.
Assuming no hooks, they are co presidents of the same ECs, neither will get into the very top schools but for the top the A student has the better shot.
It will depend why the C is there. Is it in a future major or an area they took as a requirement and never plan to touch again eg an engineer who did poorly in a history class but did ok in English. Does the teacher grade everyone poorly? Did the teacher discriminate in some way? Years ago a friend who is my age, early 40s was high As except one humanities teacher who could not stand him because he would correct her. He got a likely letter from the ivy he ended up at. They discounted the C. In a future major he would have to show why and demonstrate that it is no longer a problem, eg C first semester physics, A+ second semester and with a recommendation or letter from the teacher.
The 3B+ unless they were before junior year would kill the chances for a really top school (unless that still puts the student in the top 10%). Especially in a prospective major. I personally believe in a high school where people get straight As, even A- will hurt you for top 10 schools but it can be overcome with hooks or a great essay or awards.
@SeekingPam Thank you for the very detailed response. In my case, I recieved a C in AP Calculus - because the class was very tough course- , but got As in my other rigorous AP Classes. However, math is usually my strength, with me getting 800 on the SAT Math 2 score, and a 35 on ACT math. I also have participated in many math competitions, so math is definitely not a “weak spot”. Would this C be “less horrible” if I get an A next semester and perhaps a 5 on the AP test?
If you are a junior and can pull up that C by the end of the year, you shouldn’t have to worry, even if semester grades show up on the transcript. Do they? I think in our school, only end of the year grades appear. Getting a five on the test obviously would not hurt, though colleges don’t receive official reports as part of the package, your GC can mention it to make it official.
Getting an A would help tremendously as would the 5. Even though colleges do not require AP tests, you can pay to have them sent as part of your application. Your GC can also explain or comment. If your math teacher or another math teacher writes your recommendation and explains the C or says it is not reflective that may help too.