S is finishing up a module for his NASA High School Aerospace Scholars program and getting in some hours at his job. He has expressed zero interest in NHS or any of the other honor societies, and I wish he would get involved with volunteering but nothing has stuck on that front. He was involved with Interact freshman and sophomore years and seemed to like the people and most of the volunteer activities but this year he’s lost interest. I think he’s just fully booked, between his classes, sports, Destination Imagination, job and NASA program. He just doesn’t want to add any volunteer activities on top this year. It’s not so much that I worry about his college applications (he’s probably not applying to elite schools, he’ll be auto admit to all the Texas public schools, and he would be happy to attend a Texas public) but I’d like to see him rekindle a spirit of volunteerism.
@traveler98 My S18 is also doing the NASA HS Scholars program; he loves it and hopes to attend JSC this summer. I believe that if your S is busy doing things that interest him then he is fine. Forcing or guilting him to do something he really doesn’t have the passion for seems counterproductive. If a college or university doesn’t want him in their class because of the lack of something like service etc then he probably wouldn’t be a good fit anyway. Just let him be himself during the admissions process. Now, if he was just going to school and coming home to play video games all day, that’s a different story. But, if he remains busy doing activities or work that he loves, at the expense of other things, so be it.
Is a B+ a death sentence for elite colleges?
Veteran Parents: D18 for the first time in her entire life may have a grade less than an A on her report card. AP Calc has been fine with knowing the material, but her grades have suffered b/c many of the students (including her) cannot complete the tests in the time the teacher allows. She is hanging by a thread to an A- but very likely will end up with a B+. It will all come down to the midterm. There really isn’t anything more she could have done to help this grade, unfortunately, b/c as I mentioned, she knows how to do it but speed work has never been her strong point.
My question is: How much could this potential B+ hurt her? She currently has the highest GPA attainable at her school, according to her Guidance Counselor (4.2) but a B+ is a B+.
Thankfully, she isn’t even sure she wants to pursue an elite college but it would be nice to know it’s still an option should she change her mind. She is grade-skipped into AP Calc and AP Physics and also in Foreign Language and sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t the best thing to allow. Seems her classmates have a much easier schedule plus she is a three-season athlete.
Any feedback is appreciated. Future major: possibly Engineering. ACT score was 35 composite (only time she took it).
@brazos21, that’s the approach we’re taking. He’s definitely busy and isn’t just sitting around, so I don’t want to guilt him into volunteering or going for a leadership role in a club just to pad his resume. He has expressed some interest in elite schools and programs (MIT, CMU, CalTech, the McDermott Scholars program at UT Dallas) and he’s aware that lack of leadership and community service will hurt him if he decides to pursue those reach opportunities. He seems to be backing away from those reaches though, and prefers to stay busy with things he enjoys rather than always keeping an eye on the college resume. He certainly isn’t lazy or bad at time management, and his activities are challenging and stimulating. Really I would just like to see him get back to enjoying community service again, because I think it’s good to get involved in the community. Maybe over the summer he’ll find something. Good luck to your son for JSC! The program really is excellent, isn’t it? S is continuously feeding us interesting things he’s learning through the program, and he also really hopes to make JSC.
No. Many students with no hooks do make it with one or two Bs. However, many students with all As do get turned down.
There is a lot more that goes into picking students at elite schools than starting with perfect grades.
My DS finished his required NHS volunteer requirement right before finals and put in one hour for community service . (caroling at a nursing home) during the break. He’s spending most of his time working on a project he hopes to submit to a national art competition and playing video games with his brother;-)
My DD is home from college and at the moment the three of them are rehearsing at trio (harp, keyboard, flute) that they’ll be playing at church on Christmas Eve. I just love seeing them all work together! The boys dropped their instruments when they started high school so they are a bit rusty but DD is whipping them into shape!
@Kayak3, that is definitely not a death sentence! My D15 had a B or 2 in a class (can’t even remember at this point!) and she had very good admission results. Does your school report grades by semester or by the whole course? If the latter, and she pulls that grade up, colleges may not even see that. In any event, it truly is not going to do major damage to her chances, IMO.(If she does well on the AP exam, that will also help.)
My D18 is working some, but mostly messing around shopping, seeing her friends, etc. She did head down to the local Humane Society for their volunteer workshop, so I think she’ll start going there weekly once school starts back.
Mine isn’t out of school yet. Another hour or so and she’ll officially be done for the semester. It looks like she’ll finish up with her 4.0 intact. She was a bit nervous with five APs this year but she seems to have pulled it off.
I have no idea where she stands with her NHS hours. She’s always on top of things so I’m letting her handle it!
She’ll be very busy over the break with two-a-day swim practices (5.5 hours every day 
) and watching Crash Course AP videos. Hopefully she’ll allow herself some down time. She’s earned it.
AP Calc is one of the hardest courses offered at most high schools. A B+ should not make a difference. I think they put more emphasis on strength of schedule, which this clearly demonstrates.
Thank you so much for your responses @suzy100 and @dadotwoboys . That makes me feel so much better.
Hey guys, again I’m a student (c/o 2018 :D)! Just got my first ACT scores back and got a 33 C with a 36 in math ( super stoked)! Should I retake if I’m planning to apply to ivy-caliber schools? Thanks so much for your responses!
@Benji3025, had you prepared for it? Have you taken the SAT?
@suzy100 Took a few practice tests, but I think that I can improve my reading and science by simply better adapting to the format of the test. I got a 1450 on the PSAT, and I would prefer to just to take the ACT if possible (I find it easier :)) ). 33 ACT > 1450?
It’s probably worth a shot to take it again if you really commit to studying for it. If you take it again, be sure to try to do well on each section, not just reading and science. Not all schools superscore the ACT.
@suzy100 Thanks! I think that my English & Math are fine (35 & 36, respectively), but I certainly don’t want them to drop… My scores are right on the average mark for most of my reach schools, but you think that it would be useful to push for that 34/35? ;))
It’s hard to say. If you applied for a reachy reach school and didn’t get in, I don’t think it would be because of a 33. However, if you were my kid, I’d have you retake (if you agreed), to put you more comfortably in the running for merit at other schools.
@suzy100 Again, thank you for all of your advice! It’s nice to get advice from some of those more experienced (my GC hasn’t been much help :(( ). Wishing you and your D18 the best of luck!
A 33 is probably on the lower end, but in range. Frankly, neither of my boys are ACT guys, so I’m not really sure. If we were talking SAT I would say you want a 1500 or better with both scores over 700. To be clear, it doesn’t seem like test scores get students in with those schools, they can make it much harder or even rule you out (i.e. an 800 doesn’t make you an auto-admit, but a 1300 makes it really hard and an 1100 - well, can you dunk?). I think test scores and GPA in range make a student qualified and the other stuff (ECs, LORs, essay, strength of schedule, leadership, etc.) are what makes the difference.
PSAT score was slightly lower than I would have liked for D18 (definitely not in the running of the bulls for NMF) Fortunately, we are not in a financial position that makes the NMF race vital to her college search. She will be sitting for her first SAT in January and the ACT in February. I am sure she will sit them both again in April/May and maybe again in June, who knows.
Here is what I am hearing from some parents of Class of 16ers who have just finished up their first college semester. Many (but not all) of those stellar straight A kids are no longer straight A kids and they are stressed and displeased with their Bs and occasional Cs. My HS B average (in all AP/Honors courses) D16 came out of her 1st college semester with an A, mostly B’s and one C. Practically identical to her HS grades, still a B average less stressed and not shocked or disappointed with her B average. Kids who got had lower GPAs in HS and/or did not take AP or Honors courses feel they were just not prepared for college, several have failed/dropped out or are headed back home to attend local community colleges because they are struggling. It definitely seems to me that there are some truly bright outstanding HS students who will continue to be stars but a fair number of those kids simply do not shine as brightly in college and those slightly above average “B” kids continue to plod along.
It’s like the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady sometimes, just sometimes, wins the race. The key to success seems to be course rigor, you have to be prepared for what you face in college. We need to stop focusing on the GPA and standardized test scores because they don’t tell the whole story and in fact may not really be the best indicator to collegiate success.
Well said, @labegg ! Great insight and I appreciate you sharing. I have two overachievers and one that is quite content with his B+ average. Though he doesn’t win distinguished awards, sometimes I think he will end up the least stressed and most well adjusted. Of course I love to see my kids succeed but sometimes the pressure they put on themselves seems so unhealthy and I certainly worry about them moving to college because of it.