Higher GPA or Harder Courses?
The question that parents and students most often ask me is, “which is better: getting a higher GPA or taking a tougher course load.”
The humorous, accurate, but not always helpful response is: “Take the hardest course you can and get an ‘A’ in it.”
Here’s the scoop: this is not an easy question to answer categorically. In truth, it all depends on the student. Every student should take the most challenging courses he or she can perform well in. Colleges are looking for students who push themselves, who are interested and excited about learning. Honors courses are an indicator of intellectual drive and curiosity.
But it does no good to take a slew of AP courses and get a “C” or “D” in each. Further, anyone who takes an AP course should set his or her sights on taking the AP exam. You need to pass the exam–not the teacher’s tests–to get the true credit for taking a high-quality AP course.
Parents also ask about how GPAs are then calculated for honors, AP, and IB courses. Generally, grades are weighted to give “extra credit” in the GPA for these tougher courses. But that does not mean that a “B” in an honors course is the equivalent of an “A” in a regular college prep course. (For more on weighted vs. unweighted GPAs, see my post here). The fact is that an “A” is an “A” and indicates exemplary work, while a “B” is a “B” and indicates good wook.
So how to answer question? It depends on your child. If he or she is capable of honors-level work, by all means, enroll in those courses.
The worst thing a student can do, however, is to be enrolled in honors courses through sophomore or junior year, and then take easier courses in order to boost a GPA. This always backfires, as admissions officers want to see upward trends in both the GPA and the rigor of the academic program.
The fact is, you cannot hoodwink an admissions officer into seeing only a higher GPA. Admissions professionals are well-trained to identify the story behind the transcript. To that end, you might like to hear how a director of admissions handles the question of “harder courses or higher GPA.”
Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting
Technorati Tags: GPA, honors courses, AP course, advanced placement, IB, international baccalaureate, college prep Del.icio.us Tags: GPA, honors courses, AP course, advanced placement, IB, international baccalaureate, college prep Furl Tags: GPA, honors courses, AP course, advanced placement, IB, international baccalaureate, college prep
About the Author
Mark Montgomery
As a former professor, administrator, and high school teacher, Mark has the knowledge and skills to counsel students as they make the transition from high school to college.
26 Responses to “Higher GPA or Harder Courses?”
Leave a Comment
What do i count for ap classes in gpa calculation do i take 100 in ap as a 5??
Hello, Savan.
I’m not sure what you’re asking. In most AP courses, students receive a grade (expressed as a percentage or on a 4.0 scale, or some other scale), and then also take an exam that is graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. As with everything in this business, we have to compare oranges to oranges.
Thanks for visiting.
The college admissions process is by no means easy and formulaic. As a teen and prospective applicant to a number of competitive schools, I know that my transcript will be an essential component of my overall application.
The blog I contribute to, Radical Parenting, has some advice for college applicants and the admissions process.
I’m a high school junior who is about to become a senior. I’m looking at a variety of colleges, New York, Boston University, Boston College, Dartmouth, Villanova, UCSD, Cornell, Brown, John Hopkins, ect.
My grades from my sophmore year to my junior year have all been A’s and B’s, I’ve taken 2 Ap Classes ( Apush and Psych) in my Junior year, and have been an Honors English Student since the seventh grade. However, my GPA is a measley 3.3 so far. My SAT score was somewhat high, a 2130 along with a 780 in mandarin subject test and a 760 in U.S History. I plan to take 3 Aps course my senior year and to take the Math 2 Subject test. I’m also a Varsity Basketball player and piano player for the past 12 years.
Do you think the colleges that I have listed are reasonable? Do you think that I am more than just my GPA?
Hello, Louis, and thanks for your question. Of course you are more than just your GPA! It sounds like you have a lot going for you. That said, you are considering applying to some very competitive colleges. The fact that you play basketball is great; however, if you are not being recruited for the Division 1 teams you have listed, then your sport will mean less in the admissions process than it will for those who are recruited. Your test scores are excellent. And your musical abilities will be taken into account. But it is also a fact that the transcript is the single-most important factor in the admissions process. Colleges will be looking at the rigor of your curriculum: you will have 5 AP classes total, while some of your competitors will have eight or ten or more. Your performance will also be considered; while a 3.3 is respectable and probably not an indicator of your abilities, it is not as high as what many of your competitors will have.
I do not want to get into the business of prognosticating your personal chances of being admitted, as there is much I do not know about you. Other factors will come into play, including where you live, your family background, financial considerations, your ethnicity, the sort of school you attend, and more. If you were my client, I would want to learn much more about you before I could help you determine whether the colleges on your list made sense.
Give me a holler if you’d like me to take a look at your entire picture and help you build a list of colleges that you’d find challenging and fun and that would likely be thrilled to have you in their applicant pool.
Best of luck!
There is a “fast track” in math which enables a student to take Calculus 2 in his or her senior year of high school. If looking for a high ranked college to attend (not necessarily top 10), which is recommended, an A in Honors and AP math classes ending at Cal 1 in the senior year or a B/B+ throughout this faster math track ending with AP Cal 2 in the senior year? Of course, I do realize that all other grades and classes are important factor, but if we’re looking at the math track alone, what guidance do you have?
Hello. I think your question is a great one, but it’s not one I can really answer without plenty more information. One thought, however, is that math is not a race. My sons have repeatedly been asked to push forward in math because their grades are good enough to qualify them for a faster track. But my boys do not really love math, and they tend to do better at a somewhat slower pace. Some parents (and certain teachers) have been surprised that I have “held them back.” But I would prefer that they be successful and that they enjoy math, rather than push them hard to the point where they feel they are not succeeding. So that’s what my own family’s calculation has been. But your son or daughter may look at math in a completely different light. I don’t think the answer to your question is found in thinking about college admissions. Rather, it is in the consideration of who your kid is and whether they really prefer to push ahead as fast and hard as possible, or whether they would prefer to continue at a slower pace. It’s a preference, not a strategy.
Hope that helps.
I am getting a B- in a honors math course, and it has really pulled my GPA down. I get A’s in all other courses, all APs. However, the date has passed to drop the class, and if I do drop, there will be a big “W” on my college transcript for “withdrawal” which might not look good. On the other hand, if I were to transfer to the regular class, I could most likely get an A+ in math. In other words, staying on will drop my GPA from around 4.0 to 3.7. What should I do?
Hello Mr. Montgomery,
I realize that colleges will look at unweighted GPA as much as weighted (possible more); however, I was wondering how much weight they would give to a B (minus, to be exact) in an AP European History course if I earned an A first semester, as well as one in AP US History, and whether my higher grades in other semesters will give me some more leeway than if I had showed continual trouble in history.
Thanks!
Erica
Hi, Erica. Colleges will look at your overall performance. They will also look at other aspects of your life beyond the classroom. Will a B- kill you? Not by itself. In order to put that B- in context, I’d need to know much more about you and your accomplishments. And that is what the applications are for; to give admissions people plenty of information about you so that they can look at the overall picture. How far that B- sticks out depends on everything else that surrounds it.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!
Enyu,
I cannot really advise you, as I don’t understand the full context of your decision. A “Big W” on your transcript may or may not make a difference. In fact, in some cases, a W might actually make you look better. But I can’t say that with any certainty in your specific case. Every decision has to be taken within its greater context. If you’d like to chat about it, connect with me at http://greatcollegeadvice.com/contact.
Best regards!
Mr. Montgomery, I am currently a high scholl junior with a weighted GPA of 4.1 and an un weighted of 3.73. I have only taken the ACT once with a score of 29. So far, i have taken a total of 7 AP classes (APUSH, AP American Gov, Comp Cov, AP Lang, AP Spanish Lang, AP Bio, and AP World) Although I have taken hard classes, and plan on five more next year, scholarship requirements make these classes feel pointless. Most scholarships at the schools I am looking at reqire at least a 3.75. Part of me really feels as if i need to either take easy classes next year to pull it off or beg the admission reps to overlook the .2 difference. What would you suggest?
Thank you, Brittanie
Brittanie,
Don’t take the easier classes. Maybe you need to look at different schools? We can help you find a great education at a price you can afford. The more rigorous your courses and the better your performance, the more likely you will be to get good money for college. We helped students get tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship support this year. Perhaps we can help you. Give is a call if you like.
Best regards.
Hi,
I am a sophomore in high school. I have always been in private school so there weren’t choices on whether to take regular or advanced. I always had above Bs, then in 8th grade I went into public school and have taken all the pre ap classes ever since. My lowest average I have gotten is an 80. This year I have 6 PreAP/AP classes. 2 of them are easy art and architecture and construction so you can say I just have 4. I just dropped out of AP history after a lot of thinking, will that affect me too much??
Marijose,
The answer to your question depends on the direction you are taking. Dropping a class or having an 80 average are not, in and of themselves, going to determine your future. They may have a bearing on which schools will consider you for admission: some will not. But that may not matter–I don’t know where you are thinking about going, what you are interested in studying, and what your potential professional trajectory might be. So I’d need to learn more about you before I could really answer the question. If you feel you’d like to get some professional advice as you go through this process, do give us a shout. We work with a lot of private school students, as well as public school students. Best of luck!
Hello Mr. Montgomery.
I am currently a junior in high school and I am able to get a 4.8 GPA this year if I have straight A’s, which I believe I will. However, the classes I’d like to take for Senior year will only get me a 4.6. I’m wondering if colleges prefer a higher GPA in junior year or senior year? Unless when we graduate, the GPA would be a cumulative of all my 4 years in high school and that’s the GPA colleges look at? I’m still quite unsure and I was hoping you’d be able to answer it. Thank you very much and have a nice day!
Hi mark my gpa is a 2.92 almost a 3.0 and I am a senior I have taken 2 ap classes and I didnt to well in them but I passed. I also took spanish 2 and failed but I made it up in summer school. I was wondering will this left a negative effect for college admission offices and sway them away from me. Please Help!!!
CJ,
All depends on which colleges you are looking at. You have not mentioned your scores on the ACT or SAT–and those will be important for you. A low GPA is not a death sentence, but it is a measure of your high school performance. I can’t really say whether colleges will accept you or bypass you. But if you want a college education, you should be able to get one. You cannot ignore your academic record, and colleges won’t, either. But you don’t need to give up on your idea of getting a Bachelors degree. The path you choose from here on out will matter most. If you need help mapping out that plan, let us know; perhaps we can help.
Good luck.
i did miserable in freshman year i had overall gpa 3.2 i did ap bio this year
sophomore year my gpa was 3.45
in junior year i did ap chem and ap calc my overal gpa was 3.85
now my senior year 1st marking period i am targeting staright A my sat score is 2000 my subject sat is math2 660 bio 660 math 1 800
what kind of schools should i target i am concerned that with my low gpa even though a decent sat score i might be waisting my time applying to schools like villanova, carnegie mellon, bu, which had been my first choices i am also concerned that even northeastern might not be a reach please advise
My 10th grade daughter is earning all A’s (Algebra 2, Honors English, Spanish 2, Chemistry) except for a D in her AP Euro History class. Should she drop at the semester? Will this one course hurt her college choices later?
Hello. I think the answer to the question lies partly with the teacher: will your daughter face a D for the semester? Any D on transcript has the potential to “hurt her college choices” in one way or another. But it is not really the particular grade that I would be worried about. Rather, I’d want to know more about the reasons for her difficulties, and if this were a signal that other AP classes will be a stretch for her. Before I can really make a ruling on how this one grade would affect her future decisions, I’d need more information about the entire educational context in order to be helpful. We sometimes do hourly consultations on such issues, if you might be interested in assisting in making decisions about how to move forward. Thanks, and best wishes.
Hello,
Thank you for you inquiry. It is difficult for us to assess your chances for admission without viewing your entire profile. Colleges tend to look at everything, transcript, test scores, activities, recommendations, essays; however you transcript is going to be the most important factor. You should try to diversify the list of schools that you are applying to. Make sure you have a good number of safety and obtainable schools, along with two or three reach schools.
Good luck!
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
Hi Camille,
Colleges will mostly focus on your grades through your junior year. Your senior year grades may not be available to colleges when you apply, though some will ask for first quarter or mid-year grades, just to make sure you don’t have any severe changes in your grades.
Hope that helps!
Katherine Price
Senior Associate
Montgomery Educational Consulting
What is the average age of college admission officers? I’m worry that there might be some generation disconnection between me and them
Hello! The age of admissions officers can really vary. There are some admissions officers that are straight out of college and some that have been in the profession for twenty+ years. You will typically find that the “admission counselors” are entry level employees so typically a little younger whereas the deans or directors are seasoned professionals who have been in the field a long time. Hope that helps!-Cara