Who is right??? me or my parents??

Applying to College
1

<p>Ok, here is my situation:</p>

<p>My grades for AP Calc are as follows: 90, 86, and 85.</p>

<p>This adds to 261. My Calc grade is out of 400, aka 320 for a B and 360 for an A. The fourth and final grade is my final exam grade, which I need a 59 for a B and a 99 for an A. </p>

<p>the final is out of two parts, the first of which I got a 70% on, so there is no way I can manage to pull of a 99%. Additionally, my teacher grades on an AP system with 5=100% and 1=65%</p>

<p>SOOOO I can get a 1 (aka just not prepare) and get my B and be happy with my life.</p>

<p>My parents are giving me all kinds of **** about this and how colleges will see the grade on the final (despite the fact that my school only sends out final grades for the class) and i will be denied all kinds of financial aid and have my admission recinded.</p>

<p>Who is right here? Is there any danger? Ps. I am NOT planning to study math at all.. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone</p>

2

<p>Your AP number is what matters, not the letter grade as much. Taking a 1 means your B is inflated and brings your transcript into question. Why not just try your best and surprize yourself? </p>

<p>Alot of kids at this age get this "if I don't try my best, it's not gonna matter." HELL YES IT MATTERS! Bagging out makes people doubt you. If it gets alittle tough and you bail, why should someone else feel your a good prospect for college?</p>

3

<p>I tried very hard thus far, and the number system here is just how my teacher is choosing to grade these tests.</p>

<p>Right now, I will get a B no matter what. Sure, I could try harder and surprise myself but I have other finals to study for!!</p>

4

<p>If colleges will only see the B, worry about your other classes. If they see your induvidual quarter and final exam grades, then try to make your B strong.</p>

5

<p>well you said your teacher grades on an AP system...mine graded our exam on an AP scale. i got a 66% but it counted as an A because a 66% is still a 5.</p>

<p>so if you can pull a 66% you would get a 100?
are you sure you understand your teacher correctly? or do i not understand?</p>

6

<p>opie clearly doesn't understand.
My teacher did the same thing (w/ diffrent curve) with our final. If it doesnt show on the transcript then it doesnt matter. However, with my class, the teacher did go lower than a 1 just incase anyone got your idea and decided to flunk it and still get 60% (or whatever). you might want to make sure your teacher doesn't have a similar plan.</p>

7

<p>no, i didnt make it clear:</p>

<p>if we score a 5 on the "AP" final exam, fashioned from old AP tests, we get a 100. 4=95, 3=90, 2= 75, 1=65</p>

<p>and in order to get a 1, I must answer between 0-30 correct out of 108</p>

8

<p>then it is still possible to get an A...</p>

<p>A 70% on the AP exam is a 5</p>

9

<p>so the first part that you got a 70% on is not weighted the same way?
if it was weighted like the real AP that would still be a 5. so if you get around 70% again that should be a 5.
im probably not understanding tho haha</p>

10

<p>yeah its hard to explain: </p>

<p>the exam is in two pieces, of which the grades will average to a score out of 100.</p>

<p>The first part i got 70/100, but it was graded just as that, not like an AP test.</p>

<p>the second part I am on the road to getting a 1, aka 65%</p>

11

<p>"My teacher did the same thing (w/ diffrent curve) with our final. If it doesnt show on the transcript then it doesnt matter. However, with my class, the teacher did go lower than a 1 just incase anyone got your idea and decided to flunk it and still get 60% (or whatever). you might want to make sure your teacher doesn't have a similar plan."</p>

<p>No I understand, Do you understand they will see your AP scores? I've put two through this and every school looked at the AP test score BEFORE the class score. Why? because it's a standardised test that every one across the country takes. So pulling a 1 on it and a B in the class could mean to a prospective college reviewer that you school doesn't grade well in comparsion to the rest of the country. You aren't competing with your HS classmates anymore. Your thought process is wrapped up in your HS, it should be wrapped up in where you're going to apply and what they'll want to see and how they'll consider it? "yea, I blew it off." isn't going to go a long ways to putting you in the college you want to go to. </p>

<p>If it's just about HS, no problem do what you want. One of us is thinking big picture, one of us isn't.</p>

<p>So by all means prove me wrong and take a 1. Or work on it get a 4 or a 5 and see what happens. If you were a college admissions person, which would impress you more?</p>

12

<p>opie-he is not talking about the actual AP exam
just an exam for his high school class</p>

<p>i just called him a he, even tho i dont know his gender.</p>

<p>haha are you a boy or girl?</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
SOOOO I can get a 1 (aka just not prepare) and get my B and be happy with my life.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yes, by all means you can. But if your screen name is indicative of the types of schools you are looking to ba admitted to getting a B in a major subject could hurt you as far as admissions in to the ivies (remember they will have more students who actually got "A''s who will also be rejected) and will bring down your overall GPA when you should be on an upward trend taking the most rigerous courses and doing well. Can your overall GPA take the B with out much impact to your gpa.</p>

<p>IN addition if you are looking at schools for merit money, your gpa and scores are going to be pretty straight forward. Can your GPA take the hit for the B and still keep you in the running for merit money?</p>

14

<p>Your parents are right, but for the wrong reason. Colleges don't see your exam grade, but you should study hard for the real AP.</p>

15

<p>What's the point of taking an AP class and not following through on the AP (nat exam)? </p>

<p>Yea, I re read it and still think you do your best, but if you have no intention of taking the exam, it will just be another class with a b grade. </p>

<p>Mine took the exams, my S entering his senior year needed 3 hours basically to finish. He is using the pressure free time to take more sciences in prep for med school.</p>

<p>My D informed me as she finishes her freshman year she essentially is 2 hours from junior status. </p>

<p>They received a butload of merit money because of those APs. They also because of hours, were able to get better choices for class elections and housing then the kids they came in with. That may not matter now, but when class you want is full and you need but didn't get to register for it, you'll understand a bit better. </p>

<p>Theres a reason your parents think they way they do, so do I.</p>

16

<p>If you are positive that no matter how much studying you do, you'll mathematically end up with a B, review the material lightly to make sure that you know what it is, but don't strain yourself studying. If you plan to take the AP exam in May, however, now is a good time to review. Honestly, there's no point in killing yourself over a grade that probably won't change when you have other finals to worry about.</p>

17

<p>Parents just don't understand</p>

18

<p>wow opie, still not getting it.<br>
The ap test he is referring to is not the college board administered one, it is a unofficial ap test his teacher is using as a semester final. He is clearly not referring to the standarized test given in may-that obviously would be seen by colleges.</p>

19

<p>I am a parent. If you were my kid, I would tell you to cut your losses and use your study time to ensure you get A's in your other subjects. Then I would get you a math tutor so you would not fall behind second semester. </p>

<p>To all of you who have teachers who up your grade according to your AP results...be very thankful! My son would love that and has yet to have a teacher who gives an automatic A for a score of 5 on the AP test.</p>

20

<p>Opie, AP tests are in May.</p>