B+ in AP Calc AB--UPenn still an option?

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a junior who has taken a rigorous courseload over the last 3 years. All As thus far, but she is most likely going to end up with a B+ in AP Calc AB.

Her dream school is UPenn. She always knew this was a reach school (the only IVY on her list), but now feels that she has no chance with a B in AP Calc AB. Is it accurate that this probably takes her out of the running? She is really upset and I want to console her, but want to also be realistic. She is well aware that Penn admissions is a lottery even amongst the most competitive candidates, and there is no pressure from me/husband about going to a T20 school. Still, it's where she truly, deeply believes she will be happiest....

She is well-rounded and has strong ECs (all local though, no state/national awards). Her LORs and essays will be excellent, as she is well-liked by her teachers and a wonderful writer. SAT 1550. FWIW, she will be a humanities major and never wants to take another math class after HS. Her father and I are both legacy at Penn grad schools.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, if one B+ is going to hold her back, the school doesn't deserve her.

[Anonymous]

Are you for real? You very well know that even if she got an A in Calc AB, she STILL wouldn’t get into Penn. So please reassure your child that she will be more than fine.

[Anonymous]

She’s fine. I know several kids with 2-3 B+ at Penn….

Really depends on the high school and their relationship w/Penn..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s fine. I know several kids with 2-3 B+ at Penn….

Really depends on the high school and their relationship w/Penn..

The HS part matters a lot. Larger public school that rarely sends anyone there and she shows interest in just the right way? Maybe. Public or private school that always sends kids there? It will be hard if she is competing again recruited athlete or true (undergrad) legacy classmates.

She should apply and also develop an healthy list of alternatives. Ask her to describe what she specifically loves: city setting? Philly specially? Traditions? Size? Specific majors? Then find other similar schools and help her imagine herself there, too.

[Anonymous]

Mine had all As in Calc AB, BC, and Multivar….rejection. Outstanding package …. Whatever they want, I hope your child has better luck!

It is a lottery and a mystery 🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine had all As in Calc AB, BC, and Multivar….rejection. Outstanding package …. Whatever they want, I hope your child has better luck!

It is a lottery and a mystery 🤣

What major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, if one B+ is going to hold her back, the school doesn't deserve her.

This. A couple of B's will not make/break the situation. Throw in the application along with everything else and see what happens. Your grad school legacy will count for very little.

[Anonymous]

Pitt is a much better school anyway.

[Anonymous]

how about penn state? it's close in the name and may confuse people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s fine. I know several kids with 2-3 B+ at Penn….

Really depends on the high school and their relationship w/Penn..

This! Our school gets a ton of kids into Penn every year (8-12ish out of 170) and no one into many other ivies (Dartmouth, Princeton). It’s all about relationships once you meet the academic benchmark. They aren’t nitpicking if the GPA is high from a good school.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, taking AB instead of at least BC in junior year would probably be more of a problem IF she wanted to major in stem. For a prospective humanities major, though, it’s not a huge deal I wouldn’t think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She’s fine. I know several kids with 2-3 B+ at Penn….

Really depends on the high school and their relationship w/Penn..[/quote]

+100

No one from a suburban high is getting into Penn with a B+ in Calc AB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine had all As in Calc AB, BC, and Multivar….rejection. Outstanding package …. Whatever they want, I hope your child has better luck!

It is a lottery and a mystery 🤣

This +100. Mine had As and 5s in 11 APs and As in 2 college math classes and still didn’t get into any Ivys. It is a Lottery all the way. They are however very happy anyway, so don’t sweat it. One B won’t make it break anything.

[Anonymous]

One B+ in a difficult math class, particularly when she's signaling a humanities major, is not going to make a difference. For engineering or Wharton it definately would. She would need an A in BC. But sounds like that's not her thing. She hit the Calculus AB threshold for selective schools and did reasonably well. She's not going to be rejected because of that.

There will be other reasons.

Check out the DMV area admits for Penn. It's almost impossible for unhooked kids. The mid-Atlantic is not a desirable geography for Penn. There are so many smart, accomplished kids that want to go up the road to Penn. There is so much legacy. And there are so many wealthy contributors.

And absolutely none of it compares to what's coming from the NY privates. More accomplished. Richer. More connected. Same general region. Plus New Jersey. Plus Pennsylvania.

Take a look at your high school Penn admits in recent years. How many? Undoubtedly there was a hook of some sort.

Both of my kids are at top 20 colleges presently. We visited Penn. And then we studied the situation for unhooked kids from the burbs in DC.

And determined that it's not worth any attention at all.

Better to lay the facts to her early. And definitely do not throw an ED card towards Penn unless you're besties with the Chancellor. The mid-Atlantic is not good for Penn. It is an incredibly difficult admit from the suburbs in Maryland or Virginia. If you want to spend $75 on a lottery ticket in regular, go for it. But would suggest being more strategic about where you want to direct the passion.