Ivies and GPA

beholderer
Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:14:43 +0000

First of all, it is always the best thing to have only A’s and no B’s.

Now, considering that this isn’t always possible, it is important to remember that many students without 4.0 GPA get in. A little below a 4.0 is acceptable, if it is like 3.75. 3.9, something like that. This means like 1, 2, or 3 B’s.

But more important, is the reason that a student gets these B’s. If a student is lazy and lapses in work ethic, then this is a bad reason to get a B. If a student takes too many classes than he could handle (like 5 APs and 2 honors classes), then this is also bad, because the students who get accepted take lots of AP classes AND get all A’s. However, if a student has extenuating circumstances such as a family emergency, financial disadvantage, or long-lasting illness or injury, a few B’s isn’t bad.

If the reason you got B’s was because of a long illness that made you miss over a month of school, then these grades will not hurt you. As long as you write an additional essay explaining your illness, how it affected you, and how you overcome it, Admissions Officers might see this as a plus, because you can overcome adversity.