I'm worried about these B letter grades I have and its possible effect on college acceptance.

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I am a Sophomore in High School, part of the Class of 2019. Last year, I had one B in my first semester of Honors World Literature and Composition. I didn’t worry too much, and I ended up making Principal’s Honor Roll for achieving above a 4.0 GPA…

This year, my schedule is a lot tougher. I am taking two AP classes (AP Government and Politics and AP Computer Science), two programming classes (including Oracle/SQL Database Design and AP CS), two math classes (Geometry and Algebra 2), and Honors Chemistry…

I am a little bit stressed out as you can imagine, but I am more worried about my 3 B letter grades that I have.

As it currently stands, I have a B+ in Honors Chemistry, a B+ in Oracle/SQL Database Design, and a B in AP Government and Politics.

I am trying to get into a prestigious college/university, but I am worried that these letter grades might have an effect on that dream of mine.

I participated in Cross Country last year, making it only onto Junior Varsity. This year, again, I made Junior Varsity, and I am planning on running for our school Track team.

Essentially, my question is: Will I be able to get into a good college/university with these grades? If I finish my Sophomore Year of High School with, at most, 6 B letter grades across both semesters (considering that I may or may not get a B in H Chem or a B in Oracle next semester), am I still a competitive college candidate? I know I still have to take my ACT/SAT and hopefully pass my AP Exams… but I am just worried.

Sorry for the long post! Hope someone with good knowledge on college acceptance will be able to ease my stress.

2

Yes, you will be able to get into a good college, and that’s because there are a lot of good colleges out there. Will a bunch of Bs, even in harder classes, make some adcoms wonder whether you’very got what it takes to handle harder college level classes? At some schools, yes.

Think about what you would need to do differently to get a higher grade. Study more? Study differently? Get additional help to improve your understanding? Take fewer hard classes at one time? Use this as an opportunity to learn about learning and to learn about yourself. Use that to improve and use it to pick the best college for you when the time comes.

3

6 Bs in 1 year is still impressive! There have been applicants with lots of B’s, and even a C or TWO that have made it into colleges like Harvard and Yale. Push yourself, but don’t worry TOO much