B grade in AP classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

OP here. This is exactly what I’m worried about.

Op, you aren’t wrong to worry, but someone hasn’t filled you in on the rest of the equation here.

College admissions officers are NOT just looking at the All-As your kid got.
They will be looking at a document called a “school profile” that shows what classes your kid could have taken at his HS and they will compare that to the courses he chose to take to obtain those As.
When they see that he deliberately did NOT take the hard classes, this will elevate other applicants from the same high school who took all the AP classes and got As in them above your kid on their list.
Taking the AP classes and getting Bs is still better than taking regular classes and getting As though. Because it shows rigor and it shows that he is up for the challenge of college work.

(And other PPs are correct that the GPA gets a bump for a B grade in an AP class anyway)

The danger is if he takes AP and gets Cs. No one wants to see that.

[Anonymous]

Remember when school was about learning??

Your kid will be better prepared for whatever college he attends if he takes the AP classes instead of the regular/honors. He will learn how to write better and analyze. Think long term skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

My kid graduated last year with B’s in BC Calc and AP Lang and he was accepted to three top 50 (including 1 T20) schools as a CS major.

We’re those senior year?

[Anonymous]

Wow. Talk about a pessure cooker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

OP here. This is exactly what I’m worried about.

Op, you aren’t wrong to worry, but someone hasn’t filled you in on the rest of the equation here.

College admissions officers are NOT just looking at the All-As your kid got.
They will be looking at a document called a “school profile” that shows what classes your kid could have taken at his HS and they will compare that to the courses he chose to take to obtain those As.
When they see that he deliberately did NOT take the hard classes, this will elevate other applicants from the same high school who took all the AP classes and got As in them above your kid on their list.
Taking the AP classes and getting Bs is still better than taking regular classes and getting As though. Because it shows rigor and it shows that he is up for the challenge of college work.

(And other PPs are correct that the GPA gets a bump for a B grade in an AP class anyway)

The danger is if he takes AP and gets Cs. No one wants to see that.

This. Your kid isn’t getting into top schools with As and no AP or advanced classes either. Better to have some rigor and a less than perfect GPA than a 4.0 with easy classes.

Also, he can bring those grades up next semester if he’s really motivated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

Except Big 10 engineering is going to want to see that students take the most rigorous classes offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

OP here. This is exactly what I’m worried about.

But if he can't do it (get A's in certain APs), he can't do it. And that's okay. He will go to a different college and be just fine. Dropping down into GenEd and getting A's isn't going to make it easier to get into the crazy competitive colleges. Let him do what he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

There is now.

- Big 10 engineering grad who wouldn't be accepted to their school today

OP here. This is exactly what I’m worried about.

But if he can't do it (get A's in certain APs), he can't do it. And that's okay. He will go to a different college and be just fine. Dropping down into GenEd and getting A's isn't going to make it easier to get into the crazy competitive colleges. Let him do what he wants.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. He is enjoying the challenge of the class. He’s never taken a truly challenging class (for him) before, so he’s learning how to really study and how to manage his time.

I’m just worried about college applications. There are so many kids with perfect grades. I know lots of kids have perfect grades even with AP classes. My kid just can’t complete.

If you tell him to drop down, what message does that send him about trying difficult things? Is that the message you want to send him?

What message are you sending him about what colleges are acceptable to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s nothing wrong with getting B’s in AP classes. You’re overreacting.

+1

[Anonymous]

Straight A’s in regular classes is not getting your kid into top colleges anyway. Bs in AP classes will likely help more than hurt and at worst it’s a wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Straight A’s in regular classes is not getting your kid into top colleges anyway. Bs in AP classes will likely help more than hurt and at worst it’s a wash.

+1 as also stated further up. It’s more about the challenge and rigor of classes than the actual grade(within reason) for these highly ranked universities. Your student isn’t going to get into them if they do not take any AP classes( or equivalent rigor depending what HS offers… including private).

[Anonymous]

I guess I don’t understand why your kid can’t get As in the AP classes. Why doesn’t he just work harder and study more. Learning to work hard is probably more important for future life success than anything else. If he gets into a top college how do you think he will do if he can’t handle the rigor of AP classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I don’t understand why your kid can’t get As in the AP classes. Why doesn’t he just work harder and study more. Learning to work hard is probably more important for future life success than anything else. If he gets into a top college how do you think he will do if he can’t handle the rigor of AP classes?

Please understand that all teachers and grading are not the same. Some schools have an A as a 90-100. Some have it as a 97-100. Some schools count homework, quizzes, etc. as part of the grade and some don’t. Some test very hard and others don’t. Some curve the grades and others don’t. Please don’t assume that your experiences are everyone else’s.

- former teacher

[Anonymous]

Parents like you are why kids have so many mental health issues. I feel sorry for your kid(s).