I transferred from a very competitive high school to a less competitive school the beginning of junior year. I did not care much for school freshman and sophomore year, and I received 4 B’S (2nd semester of 9th grade bio, 2nd semester of chemistry, 10th grade honors english). We could not take any AP courses until junior year at that school.
After I transferred, I was more motivated and received straight A’s junior year and 1st semester of senior year.
Freshman year: all regular classes except for honors english (4.1 cumulative)
Sophomore year: all regular classes except for honors english (4.0)
Junior year: AP Lang, AP Bio, APUSH, Honors math analysis, health, spanish (4.21)
Senior year: AP Lit, AP Environmental Science, AP Calc, AP Gov, geography (4.28)
Does this look bad? I did not explain it in the extra comment section, but I did explain it to an interviewer for only Northwestern.
Also during sophomore year, I was involved in too many extracurricular activities, so I did not focus much on my grades. I was in concert band, marching band, school orchestra, outside school youth orchestra, basketball, choir, frequently competed in flute competitions and I also had many volunteer events such as volunteering Key Club, Leo Club, regularly performing for senior citizens at nursing homes, and coordinating and performing in a benefit concert to raise money to buy a piano for a nursing home.
During junior year, I cut down my extracurriculars and continued to enter in flute competitions, perform at nursing homes, volunteered with Key Club, and created a team that removed invasive species from our local mountain.
I don’t quite understand. Two of your Bs were in the second semester, which isn’t what colleges will see. They should only see the average for both first and second semester. You’ve also always had at least a 4.0 which is highly competitive. You have an upward trend which shows you have been committed to school and it also seems like you’re committed to your EC’s. All of this looks good. I don’t think it will matter that you transferred schools because you still applied yourself to your academics afterwards.
@CathJR Sorry if what I wrote was confusing. I meant that I received 4 B’s in total. 1 in the second semester of freshman year, 1 in the first semester of sophomore year, and 2 in the second semester of sophomore year (so 3 B’s sophomore year).
@lanabanana99 Yes but they might not be b’s on your transcript is what I’m saying. Colleges don’t see your grades per semester but as both semesters averaged out. So say you had an A semester 1 and B+ semester 2 colleges would see and A-. Even if that weren’t the case receiving four Bs your entire high school career is not bad in any way. Straight As is not that easy and not everybody applying to elite schools will have them. Overall, I really don’t see any negatives in all that you have said. I don’t think reps are going to look at your application and think “Wow this could’ve been better.”
Your B grades will be considered. Is it negative? Really depends on where you are applying. It’s more telling that you spent too much time on ECs rather than school work. Your upward trend will be noted. Students ask these questions all the time “I got a C, am I doomed? I got two Bs, am I doomed?” No, those are your grades, you will get into a college that doesn’t care if you have a few Cs or Bs. You chose your ECs over your grades, they will care. But they will also care that you refocused.
I suspect when kids ask these questions, they are implying that they are applying to tippy top colleges (northwestern is one, of course.) You have to understand that the majority of kids that will ultimately be accepted to tippy top colleges will probably have few if any B grades, plus all kinds of amazing ECs. That’s who you are competing against. So adjust your expectations, because they need a very good reason to choose you over the kid with no Bs. An amazing essay isn’t going to get you a spot over Straight A Susie. If you are hooked, you might be fine though.