As a top 20 HS (ranked by US news), my school has a lot of grade deflation. I did not do well in AP Calc first semester (C-…yikes) but I will get a B this semester and likely a 4/5 on the AP exam. If I decided to apply (haha consider it more of a lottery ticket) to Penn ED, would the admission officers actually see the AP scores, or is this not viewed by the ad coms?
Bump
You may choose to report them yourself on the common app. The advice we were given is to report scores of 4 or 5 only.
I’m in same situation as u… C first semester, I hope my 4 or 5 on Calc exam would suggest grade deflation,
@gardenstategal is correct. AP scores are self-reported in the application phase, and you only send the official scores if you want to use them to get credits or skip a prerequisite class. @ZBlue17
While all the above is solid and accurate, I’d like to add a couple of things.
If your HS is a top 20 in the country, it is likely that every AO in the country, and certainly the ones at Penn, will be familiar with it. On the off chance that an AO is not, the HS will send in a school profile which will list some interesting tidbits like GPA range, median SAT scores, advanced classes offered, etc. So colleges will be aware of the grading standards at the school.
I see nothing wrong with reporting a 3; it’s a passing score. Be aware, however, that if a class shows as AP on the transcript and you choose not to report a score, the AO may assume one of three things:
• Financial hardship prevented you from taking the exam
• You were not motivated enough to take the exam
• You took the exam and performed poorly (1 or 2)
The first one will not affect your application; the last 2 may raise an eyebrow. AO’s can, and have, contacted GC’s to explain why there are no AP scores reported on the application.
Adcoms will see the scores you report to them. They will consider them for admission, at a top school. They will not send them to the registrar for possible credit.
And if you don’t report a score, if it relates to your possible major, of course they will notice. Why shouldn’t they care, especially when competition is tough?
When you think of top schools, of course you need to be on your game.