Will a bad GPA ruin my chances here?

chaosakita
Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:09:06 +0000

fineartsmajormom:

OP…calm down and re-read the responses that people took the time to send you. You asked for feedback…accept gracefully or ask for clarification if something doesn’t sound right. If you don’t like the responses, you can ignore them, but there may be some gems of advice in there that may serve you well.



Sorry. I didn’t want to sound angry; I was just incredibly confused. Some of the answers really did seem nonsensical to me.



fineartsmajormom:

AP spanish IS a tough test and particularly tough for non native speakers. It is easy for my daughter because she is a native speaker. She and S went to school abroad and S took the AP spanish and spanish SAT II without any class or prep precisely to get (what is for him, the easy high scores). AP English for him was a nightmare for the same reason it will be a walk in the park for you. Frankly, these tests are like some type of rigged game and you have to figure out the strategy and combination of tests that presents you in the best way and still meets the university or program requirements. For example, at our school, they advise the non-native spanish speakers to be very well prepared and cross their fingers when they take the spanish SAT II…or take english lit if they need a high score on an SAT II.



I know AP Spanish is a tough test. That’s why my teacher is preparing our class so much for it. The class is incredibly intense.

I also understand why the SAT II Spanish could be hard too. However, it also seems to me that it is easier to get a good percentile compared to the other SAT II language tests, and I have performed quite well on Spanish standardized tests. (Like my posted profile said, I am a three time National Spanish Exam Gold Award winner) Maybe I won’t do very well, but that’s why I’m taking the SAT II’s twice.

Also, I’ve already taken both AP English classes. Got a 5…and a 4. Oops. No English this year though. Yay?



As a PhD economist with a specialization in econometrics, I live and breathe stats and it is not math (lots of math symbols and numbers…but a different discipline entirely). Whatever the college says…math is not stats and stats is not math. When you return to taking calculus in college after a year hiatus from math it will be a shock. Thus, if you want to study engineering or physics or even economics, there may be some concern about not finishing calculus in high school since the program may be looking for AB calc at a minimum. CHECK with your college or program. Your preferences were not clear in your post in terms of the colleges you were thinking of applying to so if the advice was not appropriate to your goals…well, ignore or clarify…smile and nod and learn to be gracious in accepting help (even when you don’t perceive it as helpful). This advice will get you further than anything related to standardized tests…



What kind of college requires AB as a minimum? Are they just going to automatically deny entry to the thousands of students who don’t have access to AP programs? What about people who don’t have access to accelerated math programs? The idea that any school would require a specific AP class is absolutely ridiculous. I’m sure there’s a even few people at a math-related field at MIT who lacked taking AP Calc, if only because of their circumstances.

And yeah, yeah, I know that calc is the only real math, but Stat, not Calc, is what I’m taking, and nothing is going to change that. If Carnegie Mellon is going to reject me over that, then fine.

Yeah, yeah, I understand the purpose of sucking up and being polite in real life. But I’m not sure why I need to accept nonsensical advice from a stranger over an internet message board. Maybe practice makes perfect, but being on College Confidential is hardly practicing for anything. I do appreciate your attempts to help me, but the only thing I’ve learned is that I need to take the Math II and that my 3 grade on Calc is supposedly abysmal.