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Articles: Expert Advice
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Easier AP's Senior Year to raise unweighted GPA?
JesseJune
Registered User Posts: 9 New Member
My DS has always been ambitious in taking AP's- as a Junior he has taken 7 AP's (including 3 this year). He would like to take 4 AP's next year, and quite truthfully he's on the path to because he's on an AP tract where regular classes would actually hurt his GPA. He is a good student but does kind of just enough to get by... he's getting mostly B+ in his AP, with one A- . He loves the challenge of APs' and does not get stressed. However, he's getting penalized with his unweighted GPA's by challenging himself with his AP schedule. He's got a 4.2 weighted and a 3.4 unweighted.
What should we do going into Senior year? We were hoping to go early decision on most of the schools, and my son's school is on a quarterly semester plan. He would ideally like to take
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C (he wants to go into Engineering)
AP Stats or AP Envir Science
AP Lit (he has to due to requirements with his school)
.5 elective
Theology (required)
I am thinking maybe he should take "easier" AP's and try to boost his grade first semester...
AP Calc AB
AP Envir Science
AP Stats
AP Lit
.5
Theology.
What are your thoughts on this... will the colleges see he's taking "easier" AP's and could this backfire on us. Or perhaps doing extremely well first semester- will it help his unweighted GPA?
Thank you so much for reading all of this, I appreciate other feedback, experiences.....
What should we do going into Senior year? We were hoping to go early decision on most of the schools, and my son's school is on a quarterly semester plan. He would ideally like to take
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C (he wants to go into Engineering)
AP Stats or AP Envir Science
AP Lit (he has to due to requirements with his school)
.5 elective
Theology (required)
I am thinking maybe he should take "easier" AP's and try to boost his grade first semester...
AP Calc AB
AP Envir Science
AP Stats
AP Lit
.5
Theology.
What are your thoughts on this... will the colleges see he's taking "easier" AP's and could this backfire on us. Or perhaps doing extremely well first semester- will it help his unweighted GPA?
Thank you so much for reading all of this, I appreciate other feedback, experiences.....
Replies to: Easier AP's Senior Year to raise unweighted GPA?
For engineering, physics is more important that environmental science or stats. If he needs stats for his major, he'll need calc-based stats, which AP Stats is not. Calc AB vs Calc BC will not make a difference for his target colleges, but AB will allow him a better (i.e. slower) pace. But that comes with the caveat that the following year in college, the pace picks up dramatically.
2) He only gets one ED, and decisions will be back before first semester grades are in. Whatever his grades are at the end of this semester, that's what they are for ED.
3) If he loves a challenge, why encourage him to take less challenge?
4) If he habitually does just enough to get by, why do you anticipate he'd start doing more if the classes changed?
5) Depending on what schools he's targeting, another year of language and/or social studies might improve his odds more than doubling up on math or science.
He loves the challenge but its not helping his unweighted GPA, and at what point is the benefit of the challenge supersedes the actual number that they're requesting when he applies. Will they say, look he challenged himself that's why his unweighted is a 3.5 or will the write him off because of it. He's hoping for merit scholarships.
He still has time to pull up his grades in junior year, especially if he is only doing “enough to get by”. Why not put in more work now?
He must take CalcBC if he wants to go into engineering. Many students would be more advanced than that.
Also AP Physics C is one of the tougher classes, and needs Calculus background. Does his school offer Phy 1?
But if math and physics are his strongest and favorite high school subjects, backing off on the rigor elsewhere makes sense, especially since calculus and physics are more likely to be helpful in engineering than environmental science or statistics.
ucbalumnus- he has a 4.2 GPA- because he pushed himself with AP's, I surely hope schools will appreciate that, vs only looking at his unweighted GPA.- not sure but he hopes.
I would keep the rigor in the areas where he wants to study in college. And then get good grades in those classes.
--College admissions officers do pay attention to senior year course rigor. They will certainly understand that an "A" in APES is not the same as an A in AP Physics C etc.
--Your S should want to prepare himself as best he can for college. If he wants engineering I'd take Calc BC and AP Physics.
--If he typically does enough to get by how do you know he will excel at the "easier" AP courses -- he may do enough just to get by in those as well.
--Admissions are determined before senior year GPA comes out.