<p>Suppose there are 2 students, identical in every way but one:</p>
<p>Student 1 has an equal number of A's and C's, for an overall GPA of 3.0.
Student 2 has all B's, for an overall GPA of 3.0.</p>
<p>All else being equal, which student has the better shot?</p>
<p>My younger two presented – in core academic subjects had A’s or C’s-- like your Student 1, although their GPA was 3.5 (not 3.0) all due to electives. They got into colleges of their first choice. </p>
<p>BUT…the C’s were all packaged in the Math/Sciences, the A’s were all in the Humanities. They had high-flying awards from EC’s related to the humanities, also. They applied based on their strengths. </p>
<p>In one para of their personal essays, they addressed how they coped with this obvious gap in achievements and exactly how they would address their deficit re: the college’s distribution requirements. I think their candor and self-reflection helped them. You know the colleges see those C’s; the question is: how do the students relate to having this on their records. Yes, they have a gappy presentation, but I think colleges know there are such students. The issue becomes: how will the student handle this known gap at the college? </p>
<p>In their case, the A’s and C’s formed a pattern of being extremely strong in one area of academics. If the A’s and C’s differed year by year across subject areas,
that’d be harder to address, for it would seem like they just pick up on this or that teacher to try harder. </p>
<p>I can imagine, in reverse, a student with A’s in the Maths/Sciences but C’s in English/History. If s/he was really high-flying in Maths/Sciences and could prove that, maybe they’d overlook the C’s in humanities a bit more.</p>
<p>Those 2 kids of mine also applied to private colleges with a lot of patience for quirkiness. </p>
<p>That said, there are plenty of colleges that would be thrilled with an all-B student, because that indicates less chance of flunking or struggling to accomplish distribution requirements.</p>
<p>great thread…would love to hear more responses…</p>
<p>paying3:
how would you address the kid with higher grades that differed in subject year to year?..especially one without many C’s but variable B- through B+…</p>