Will a 4 on AP Biology and AP Psychology harm my chances?Answered
I took AP Biology as a freshman in high school, and my grades were always above a 97. My first semester was rougher than second semester, but that was when COVID hit and everything went virtual for a bit. Although it was virtual, it was not as established since we really only had class once every 2 weeks for around an hour. The AP Exam was also in virtual format which was new for all of us.
Sophomore year, I took AP Psychology and got a 4 on the exam. However, my grade in the class was a 100.
I was wondering if this score would harm my chances majoring in Pre-Med or Psychology in college.
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1 answer
Your AP scores will have very little impact on your college admissions acceptance in comparison to your grades, course rigor and intellectual vitality.
The only time your AP scores will help your college admissions process is if you are borderline candidate or a applying to a Top 10 college because the competition is fierce. In such scenarios, it helps to report both your 4s and 5s and report an honor like AP Scholar with Distinction from CollegeBoard.
Lets say you still have a 95%-100% GPA when you apply to college and have taken say 8-12 APs and received As in them, you are in excellent shape. The way I see it I'm certain that by the time you are a senior you will have received 3 or 4 (5) scores in your APs.
The best thing about applying through the common or coalition app is that you DO NOT have to report your AP scores. So worst case scenario is that you do not have report anything, and that will not be counted with much weight against you as long as you have a qualifying GPA, course rigor and show some evidence of intellectual vitality/curiosity.
Also keep in mind that unless you are apply directly into a BS/MD accelerated program, it doesn't really matter how STEM qualified you are in HS. There is no preferred major for applying to Medical School when you are in college. It is a wives tale. It is true that many flock to STEM subjects but it is not a requirement nor does it improve your chances of getting into medical school. If you are an English Major and score a 520 MCAT that will get you into Harvard/Stanford easier than being a Bio major with a 510 MCAT.
Good luck.
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