Anonymous wrote:OP, my 10th grade DS is taking his first AP class and is getting a B (87). Even if he aces the midterm, he can’t get a A. However, only 2 or 3 kids in his class have an A. I assume (from reading DCUM) that a semester grade of a B means UVA is no longer an option. This is a bit of a bummer, but I have kept that thought to myself. My DS is working really hard and loves the class. I don’t want to pass my angst along to my DS. OP, don’t let your kid know you are stressed about the Bs. It will work out!

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.

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

Give me a break. Cut out the race to nowhere.

Plenty of kids go to community college and graduate with the same degree you have, same school and same time as you.

And others graduate other schools with engineering schools too.

There is more than one way to get to college. Fighting for straight A’s for 4 years straight and destroying this kids love of learning IS NOT it.

OP cut it out - it’s embarrassing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1
plus, there is some research showing that kids focused on grades have fewer mental health issues. social media focus is far more toxic.

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

Anonymous wrote:

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 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.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

He is taking AP Chemistry as a sophomore? That is usually a junior or senior level class

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1
plus, there is some research showing that kids focused on grades have fewer mental health issues. social media focus is far more toxic.

I haven’t seen a single poster say there was anything wrong with the boy being focused on his grades. I think it was the implication (or a direct statement) that he couldn’t be successful in college or in life with a B in AP Chem, which is the toxic thinking.

Anonymous wrote: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 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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

+1
plus, there is some research showing that kids focused on grades have fewer mental health issues. social media focus is far more toxic.

Anonymous wrote:

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