I’m a current sophomore aiming to go into STEM (public health), and I recently got a semester B in AP Precalc. It’s somewhat of an isolated incident… I’ve taken four high school math classes from 8th - 10th and my grades sort of gradually decreased. (100→98→92→90.. maybe not so gradually). My science grades are still exceptionally high, and my GPA is still at a 3.96. However, I’m not sure if this B will raise many eyebrows, as I want to go into STEM.
One isolated B will usually not make a material difference in college admissions.
But in general, a mix of As and Bs will not stop you from going to a good college and going into a public health career, or a variety of other STEM careers. Because you do not in fact need to go to one of the most selective colleges in the country for such a path.
So I would suggest focusing on the basics. Reasonably challenge yourself in each core area (Math, Natural Sciences, English, History/Social Sciences, and Non-Native Languages) each year. Make sure you are putting reasonable effort into each class, including asking for help when necessary. Make sure to take care of your overall health and development, physical, mental, social, emotional, ethical, creative, and so on.
Do all that, and you will be well-prepared for college admissions, and actually doing well in college.
2 Likes
Don’t worry about one B grade. Plus, if you are taking precalc as a sophomore, you are two years accelerated in math. Just make sure you understand the material because the higher level math courses you will need to take junior and senior year will be more challenging!
3 Likes
I would not focus on the grade. Instead, be sure you have a strong grasp of the concepts taught in precalc. Math is cumulative.
5 Likes
What concerns me is your scores are going down. Math is progressive - so as you advance, it builds and maybe you got too far ahead of yourself. After all, pre calc is a Senior level class.
btw - there’s many great public health programs and not necessarily at top universities - per se.
In the end, your grades are your grades and you’ll find a school that fits your profile - and most importantly budget - because that matters as much, if not more than grades.
So make sure you are not slipping in math - that’s far more important in 10th grade than what college will take me.
PS - for public health, you’ll likely be either low paid or more likely need grad school. But these decisions are a ways away. But ensuring strength in math is today.
Good luck.
When I hear Top school, with my life experience of actually working for 30 years, I have a different idea than when I was young. Not that here in Australia, where I live, school ‘prestige’ means as much as in the US.
You can search for stories of Harvard graduates who drive cabs (interesting reading). I can also say that during my career as a programmer, I conducted numerous job interviews. They all had (unless you had a lot of experience) a relevant degree was required. Nobody on the selection panel ever checked where it was from; they may have noticed it (I sometimes did), but it played no role in selecting the best applicant. There is one exception. When interviewing for a senior programmer, if you had a Master’s, a rule of thumb was you were considered to have two more years of experience (you actually had to have experience to apply for senior programmer - Master’s or no Master’s).
My definition of a top school these days is what employers want. Harvard etc. looks great, and I am sure it will impress some when applying for jobs. But not for those I interviewed. I had job-related questions that sorted the men from the boys. Search Google’s Foobar challenge (no, I did not use that - it was similar, though, to do with the system development life cycle, although they still had to write a program).
Bottom line is IMHO, employability is what determines a TOP university. You can search for universities with the best employability, and the results may surprise you. Harvard, etc., is up there, but so are schools like ASU (at 14 on one list I saw).
A B will hurt you at Harvard, etc., but ASU - no. And employability is the list I would be looking at.
The other thing to consider is why you want to go to college. Sure to get a decent job. But many serious students will also say I want to learn how to think. You can combine those two, but that also leads to a different list of top universities. You do an undergraduate to learn how to think, and a postgraduate to get a job. Top schools that teach thinking and encourage discussion of ideas include Shimer (now part of North Central College; instead of the usual general studies program, you can get a double degree with one from Shimer or saimply the Shimer one and anything else you like), St. John’s College, and Reed (for those with a real love of learning). Again, you can get into those with a B.
Bottom line, after all that preamble, is that if you look at a list like the top schools in the US, having a B will make it hard - they get so many with nothing but A’s. But if you think about what you want in life, and look at the top colleges based on that, then a B will likely be fine. Also, after looking at the school you want to go to, please, please contact them as early as possible about attending, and what they want. St. John’s, for example, offers a number of interesting admission paths and a program that allows you to complete the first year instead of the last term of high school.