B grade in AP classes

[Anonymous]

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

+1. And in my opinion its this same attitude why people think they are somehow a failure if they don't have a white farmhouse kitchen, a luxury brand SUV, and annual trips to Europe. Everyone is in this unspoken, unhealthy competition to one-up the next guy. Its really toxic.

[Anonymous]

OP here. For those asking why my child can’t just work harder and get an A. At his school the grade in an AP class is 60% based on 3 tests given throughout the semester (each test worth 20% of the final grade). He’s not a great test taker. Also, he’s never actually had to study before and he’s struggling to learn how to study, how much to study, etc.
His first test of the semester he got a 50% on. That was shocking and eye opening to him. This is AP chemistry and he tends to make a lot of simple math errors which doesn’t help.

[Anonymous]

OP again. To answer the question, he can work harder. But it’s a process and he’s still figuring it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those asking why my child can’t just work harder and get an A. At his school the grade in an AP class is 60% based on 3 tests given throughout the semester (each test worth 20% of the final grade). He’s not a great test taker. Also, he’s never actually had to study before and he’s struggling to learn how to study, how much to study, etc.
His first test of the semester he got a 50% on. That was shocking and eye opening to him. This is AP chemistry and he tends to make a lot of simple math errors which doesn’t help.

If he’s getting a B in AP Chemistry, he should count himself lucky

[Anonymous]

In the long run it really matters a lot less than you think where he goes to college. And this isn't just my opinion - there is fascinating research showing that unless you're a first generation college student or a member of one a few very specific minority groups, going to an elite college doesn't any any long term effect on your life outcomes.

There is also great research showing that growth mentality, challenging yourself, learning to work hard, etc. *does* have a significant long term impact.

Take a deep breath, be proud of him for taking on this challege and doing well, and don't even mention the possibility that he should drop down to easier courses.

(And if you're still stuck on the grades piece, think of it this way. It's going to look particularly bad to colleges if he tried the harder courses and gave up, especially given he's doing okay. So at this point he's in it for the year.)

[Anonymous]

And herein lies a large part of the reason there's a mental health crisis among teens these days.

[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

If a kid wants to study engineering, there will be a path. You do need to be more elastic about which schools you deem “acceptable” but I promise you a kid with APs is not doomed to a life of squalor and failure. You people are catastrophists and it’s a death spiral.

[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?

There are some teachers at some schools that are really hard graders. My son is in an APUSH class. His teacher believes that you need to be doing work in class equivalent to scoring a 5 on the AP test to get an A. On the last APUSH test nationwide only 10% of students got an A. Therefore he only gives 10% of the class A’s. The class average on the first test was a 68%. My son studied for hours and got a 79%. A spoke with another parent and her daughter had a 6 hour study group on Sunday befor the test. She also got a 79%. There are no corrections or re-takes.

The AP physics teacher is also a hard grader. the average grade in the last test was an F. One student who is brilliant got an A. The next highest grade was 65.

Sometimes you can work harder and your odds of getting an A are still going to be low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

There are some teachers at some schools that are really hard graders. My son is in an APUSH class. His teacher believes that you need to be doing work in class equivalent to scoring a 5 on the AP test to get an A. On the last APUSH test nationwide only 10% of students got an A. Therefore he only gives 10% of the class A’s. The class average on the first test was a 68%. My son studied for hours and got a 79%. A spoke with another parent and her daughter had a 6 hour study group on Sunday befor the test. She also got a 79%. There are no corrections or re-takes.

The AP physics teacher is also a hard grader. the average grade in the last test was an F. One student who is brilliant got an A. The next highest grade was 65.

Sometimes you can work harder and your odds of getting an A are still going to be low.

Yikes. My kid’s school has a couple teachers like this. Kids end up avoiding these classes, taking honors instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those asking why my child can’t just work harder and get an A. At his school the grade in an AP class is 60% based on 3 tests given throughout the semester (each test worth 20% of the final grade). He’s not a great test taker. Also, he’s never actually had to study before and he’s struggling to learn how to study, how much to study, etc.
His first test of the semester he got a 50% on. That was shocking and eye opening to him. This is AP chemistry and he tends to make a lot of simple math errors which doesn’t help.

AP Chem is one of the hardest AP classes, and in 10th grade no less. If it makes you feel any better, my DS has a B in that class (all juniors and seniors btw) and got into a top 10 SLAC and is a premed majoring in chemistry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And herein lies a large part of the reason there's a mental health crisis among teens these days.

Oh please. There is mental health crisis because resilience and fortitude have been lost in generations. Taking an AP class shouldn’t cause a mental breakdown, even if mom is disappointed you got a B

[Anonymous]

I would put less weight on the grade and more weight on the leaning process. Good schools want to see kids challenge themselves. They want to see AP classes. If he can’t get an A, hopefully he learns some valuable study habits and how to organize his time and school work in the most effective and efficient way. This will serve him well subsequent AP classes as well as college classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

There are some teachers at some schools that are really hard graders. My son is in an APUSH class. His teacher believes that you need to be doing work in class equivalent to scoring a 5 on the AP test to get an A. On the last APUSH test nationwide only 10% of students got an A. Therefore he only gives 10% of the class A’s. The class average on the first test was a 68%. My son studied for hours and got a 79%. A spoke with another parent and her daughter had a 6 hour study group on Sunday befor the test. She also got a 79%. There are no corrections or re-takes.

The AP physics teacher is also a hard grader. the average grade in the last test was an F. One student who is brilliant got an A. The next highest grade was 65.

Sometimes you can work harder and your odds of getting an A are still going to be low.

Yikes. My kid’s school has a couple teachers like this. Kids end up avoiding these classes, taking honors instead.

+1. Most smart kids at our HS take DE USH for exactly this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

There are some teachers at some schools that are really hard graders. My son is in an APUSH class. His teacher believes that you need to be doing work in class equivalent to scoring a 5 on the AP test to get an A. On the last APUSH test nationwide only 10% of students got an A. Therefore he only gives 10% of the class A’s. The class average on the first test was a 68%. My son studied for hours and got a 79%. A spoke with another parent and her daughter had a 6 hour study group on Sunday befor the test. She also got a 79%. There are no corrections or re-takes.

The AP physics teacher is also a hard grader. the average grade in the last test was an F. One student who is brilliant got an A. The next highest grade was 65.

Sometimes you can work harder and your odds of getting an A are still going to be low.

There is no evidence that this is the case with OP’s kid though.

[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.

Agreed. A B in AP classes is fine. No, he won't be at the top of the class. But he'll be fine with his college applications.