<p>I’m applying to a couple of very competitive schools, like Cornell, UVA and Emory. Just because they were my top choice for a long time. </p>
<p>But I’m also applying to schools that are really good, but not AS difficult to get into, like NYU and UMich.</p>
<p>I’m wondering how straight B’s would look. It happened my junior year. I still have a couple A’s but it’s mostly B’s. It’s because I took all honors and AP’s, but now I’m so worried!</p>
<p>What would happen if I had great essays/good EC’s/great SAT and subject tests/pretty decent recs?</p>
<p>Well it depends on your cumulative GPA. I’m going to UMICH this fall and the average GPA for accepted students for LSA is 3.8 (U-M GPA). Engineering is 3.9 (U-M GPA), and Ross Preferred Admission program is a 3.8 (U-M GPA). </p>
<p>Michigan is one of the most selective colleges in the U.S. Even with the acceptance rate of about 42.1% according to USNWR, they still accept highly qualified applicants that have taken rigorous courses in high school. Straight B’s and a few A’s probably means that your junior year GPA is around 3.3. Michigan only looks at your Sophomore and Junior year core courses (Math, Science, History, Social Science, English, Language, Computer Science) when calculating your U-M GPA. I’d say you might have a slim chance especially if your grade trend is going downward.</p>
<p>Straight B’s show that he can’t handle AP/Honor classes. Unless you have a good explaination, consider your chances shot at very competative schools shot.</p>
<p>Even if the other parts of your application are well balanced, going to top-notch schools just probably aren’t an option at the moment. Like Entertainer said, UMichigan is INCREDIBLY selective, and none of the other college you’ve put down are a walk in the park either. I’d suggest maybe getting your grades up at a less selective college and then apply for transfer, but its up to you. You’ve have to explain it pretty well though. B’s in AP classes can usually be explained by a rigourous courseload, but in Honors courses… not so much.</p>
<p>^ Agreed. UMICH’s acceptance rate fools people into thinking that they can apply and get in. Little are they surprised when they are deferred or rejected. B’s in AP classes are fine(Challenging), but aren’t looked at greatly in Honors classes. I would apply to schools that you are interested in, but don’t take it personally when you are rejected.</p>
<p>You could always transfer, which is another option that many students overlook.</p>
<p>Hmm… thats weird, but I guess it depends on the school. In my school, Honors is easier than AP by far. By the end of the year an AP class would have learned 1.5 times more than an Honors class. At my school AP students get harder tests, more assignments, and are subject to stricter grading.</p>
<p>Lie. It’s not “easy” to get a B in an AP/Honors class. If you’re getting B’s in those classes, you can handle them just fine. Nonetheless… if you’re getting like C’s and D’s, that’s a different story.</p>
<p>The problem is that while your grades show that you can handle AP/honors work, when it comes to top 25 schools, you’d be competing against many students who can handle AP/honors work with straight As.</p>
<p>Honestly, unless you had 2300+ SAT scores IN ADDITION to a hook like URM or Athlete, I do not think you would be able to gain admission to any top 25 university. Look at school ranked >35. If you can pay full price you may have better luck in the 35-25 range but its still a stretch.</p>
<p>See this is where the whole is an AP really an AP course question comes in. Honestly if an AP course is taught right, it should be extremely difficult to get an A in. Yet plenty of students get through them with an A in check easily enough. However if your Honors classes are as difficult as an actual AP class, then the AP class is mislabeled.</p>
<p>I think Northstarmom answers your question the best though.</p>
<p>Bascially, what everyone else is saying is true. At top schools, (Cornell, UVA, etc.) all B’s look… below average. Its a pretty decent score overall, but to apply there, you’re going to need a combination of luck, great SATs and amazing recommendations. I’m not saying that having B shows you can’t handle the coursework, but at top colleges, they’re already expecting more. I’m not saying give up, but you should apply to less “reach collges” as my counselor calls it, and think about some more “range colleges”</p>
<p>Well my counselor told me that I could apply to as many reach colleges as I wanted, but also he warned me to have target schools that I would love to go if those reaches had rejected me.</p>
<p>I would say apply because you have interest, but then again don’t take it personally when you are rejected. If you are lucky they will accept you, but if you aren’t choose a target college that you would have no problems attending.</p>
<p>Well, I know that there are tons of smart kids out there. My school is a large public and it’s known for being the toughest around this area. The kids who get straight A’s here are extremely smart. Our AP’s are very difficult to get A’s in - in most classes I’d say about 4-6 get A’s - and our graduates from top schools would come visit and say that a lot of our AP’s are harder than their college courses. When it comes to Honors…well, the freshman and sophomore honors classes are a bit easier and they’re not weighted like the AP classes. But some honors courses like precal and physics are… I’d say only slightly below the AP level…pretty close because we don’t have AP’s for those subjects.</p>
<p>What I’m most concerned about is that I know so many people from easy schools with grade inflation and less serious kids around, and although their classes are called AP’s and honors, the level of difficulty and the amount of work they need for an A in those classes are drastically different than our school. It just doesn’t seem fair to me that their report card would look better than mine…</p>
<p>moving on… as for EC’s, test scores, etc…
My SAT is 2280 superscored. My Japanese SAT II 790, math IIC 790, and Chemistry 700. I pass all my AP tests with either a 4 or 5, and I have several awards from national and regional contests and competitions… I guess I shouldn’t really get detailed with this stuff as this isn’t a chance thread…</p>
<p>but do I really have no chance, even if I apply ED somewhere?</p>
<p>“What I’m most concerned about is that I know so many people from easy schools with grade inflation and less serious kids around, and although their classes are called AP’s and honors, the level of difficulty and the amount of work they need for an A in those classes are drastically different than our school. It just doesn’t seem fair to me that their report card would look better than mine…”</p>
<p>This is one reason why colleges use SATs and why guidance counselors send college high school profiles listing the average SAT/ACT scores at the school, the # of National Merit scholars, the numbers of students who are taking AP courses and the average AP scores.</p>
<p>By using such info, college admissions officers can tell the difference between students with sky high gpas at schools with grade inflation and weak courses and students with, for instance, B plus averages at schools where virtually all students are taking AP courses and are getting 5s on their AP exams and the average SAT score is a 2100.</p>
<p>Still, if you have straight Bs in AP and honors classes, remember you are competing against students with 2300 plus SAT scores and A averages in all AP/IB classes from very rigorous high schools. Consequently, I doubt that an unhooked student with straight Bs from a very rigorous high school would have much of a chance of admission at a very top college.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, that is one of the best answers to a question that I have ever seen. Very detailed and concise. I didn’t even give the question and I feel like you answered some things that were going through my head.</p>