So since the AP Biology Exam is just a day away, I’ve been really distraught about this exam and I can already tell I’m not making a 4 or 5 on it no matter how hard I study with the little time left, in fact I’ll be lucky to even make a 3 on it from what I feel, and what’s even worse is that my school is a low funded-rural school (with not the best teachers) where almost no one has made above a 2 on that exam and most people (including me) think my the AP biology teacher is a bad teacher. Taking AP Biology has been a big regret of mine since I feel not making a 4 or 5 on the exam would make taking the whole class a waste of time I could have used taking another AP class I would have actually enjoyed, and I also took the class thinking I would be interested in the medical field, but ultimately I came to the conclusion that I hate biology so far and that the medical field wouldn’t be for me. I’m interested in law/politics for now and I just took the AP government exam and feel pretty confident I made at least a 4 on that exam since I actually enjoyed the class and was interested in it and my teacher explained everything really well. The problem is I’m looking to have a shot at HYPS and was wondering if by not submitting the exam score or deleting it all together, would look bad on me and possibly dwindle my admission shot (I made one B this semester and an A last . Also can anyone explain to me the impacts AP scores make on elite colleges admissions and how people submit them all together as well as deciding which scores to submit just so I’m clearer when choosing AP classes next year.
No. AP scores are self reported so colleges don’t see them unless you, not the CB, report them. The general rule of thumb is that you should self-report a 4 or a 5 as it will be viewed positively. If you get a 3, don’t report it. No need to stress over this. Just keep a clear head and keep studying.
@curethevoid17, I wouldn’t worry about it. If I remember correctly, I believe Yale’s application asked for all APs. That said, their admissions officers will be looking at the whole application and not zeroing in on AP exams. You can always cancel your scoring within a certain window of time.
Wishing you the best on the test! My daughter will be taking it, too.
Back in November you posted "So I’m that one kid every one of my class mates and teachers think I’m getting into HYPS. " There’s an approach in statistics called Bayes Theorem. Ignoring the math, the essence of the theorem is to start with an initial guess as to the probability of something and then adjust it with new information. Let’s try that here. There are about 36,000 public and private HS in the US, so clearly there is not space for even one kid from each HS at HYPS (your goal in another thread). Start with the assumption your pals are right, you’re the one. You now have new information about your abilities as a student, and it isn’t encouraging.
There’s more. Perhaps a generation ago you could blame your “low funded-rural school (with not the best teachers)” but its obvious you have internet access. This opens up the world to you. Khan Academy has an entire HS Biology course. There are dozens of other online courses, discussion forums, podcasts, etc. You are not limited to your HS, an almost infinite number of resources are just a click away.
Where this ties into HYPS is that these schools scour the country for the best students. They aren’t just looking for grades but for what is behind the grades. They want the kids that refuse to settle for what is handed them, but instead overcome obstacles. This is why they care about ECs, why they care about teacher recs. You should be asking yourself if you are that kind of student. Sure you posted 2 months ago about how to prepare for the AP test, but even that has implies something about you as a student. You wanted a number on a test instead of being focused from last September on learning Biology. As the Stanford dean of admissions said
In this and your earlier threads its hard to see that love for learning, its hard to see your taking responsibility, its hard to see initiative. Instead it’s the fault of others. This is not the kind of student the HYPS of the world are looking for.
My daughter is taking that exam tomorrow - and she is also taking the SAT2 Bio exam in June as sort of a back up in case she doesn’t do well tomorrow (she’s good at bio but now has a bad cold so I’m glad she’s doing both tests, weeks apart). The two exams are not the same thing, and adcoms know those AP tests are harder than the SAT2 exams, but still. Something for you to consider maybe? If you do poorly on both exams then you do not have to report either (except for Yale).
It is not too late to register for the June 1 SAT2 date, and the exam will likely feel far easier than the AP exam. You could get a Barrons or Princeton Review prep book and start studying for that AFTER you take tomorrow’s exam. See what you get, then decide if you want to report (except again for Yale…Yale wants to see everything).
I’m not saying to blow off the AP exam - don’t. Do your best, work hard, you may do better than you think. Know that there is an SAT2 subject exam in Bio though, and though I know it is not the same thing, it is something that’s there and the score (if good) can be submitted with an application to maybe(?) offset the lack of AP score (if you don’t submit it).
Just a thought.
By the way, I’m not convinced one AP score of a 3 will hurt your application anywhere, fwiw.
Doing well on an AP exam when you are coming from a highschool or area that isn’t known for academic rigor is an excellent way to show colleges that you know your stuff and have risen above what your environment offers.
If you don’t do well, it pretty much substantiates the concerns of these schools. So, yes, not excelling in AP Bio is giingvto hurt your application. It was a great opportunity to showcase yourself
Forgetting about one AP grade or anything that JanieWalker posted (not that I’m disagreeing with it), your best case-scenario is a 1 in 10 chance to get into any of HYPS individually, probably less. But using 1 in 10, that’s a 65% chance you won’t get into any of them. And that’s your best-case. So take your shot, but don’t stress about it and make sure you have some good match and safety schools that you would be happy to attend.
@curethevoid17 If you are not in bed already, go to bed now. You need your sleep.