How much do A-'s hurt your application?





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College Discussion Forums: College Admissions: December 2003 Archive: How much do A-'s hurt your application?
By Ihatesats (Ihatesats) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 03:57 pm: Edit

At public schools (e.g. University of California) AND at private schools?

At my school, an A_ = 4.0.

I usually get around 1-2 A-'s per semester, but I've also gotten 0 and 3 out of 7 courses.

By Becks777 (Becks777) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 04:02 pm: Edit

colleges hate A-s.....they ll hurt u a lot...

By Ihatesats (Ihatesats) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 04:05 pm: Edit

was that meant to be sarcasm?

By Sac (Sac) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 04:06 pm: Edit

UCs don't count minuses or pluses. A-, A, A+ all = 4.0. They will also give an extra point for a certain number of honors and AP classes.

By Ihatesats (Ihatesats) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 04:07 pm: Edit

what about private schools?

By Metz (Metz) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 06:46 pm: Edit

A- = automatic rejection. EVERY student who goes to UC schools and other competative schools doesn't have a single grade below an A. And if you have any B+'s, well, maybe you should just start thinking about community college

By Me1 (Me1) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 07:03 pm: Edit

I don't think it hurts you that much. I think it would only hurt you if your school has such massive grade inflation that it puts you outside of the top 10%.

By Trojan1444 (Trojan1444) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 07:59 pm: Edit

Ihatesats.......go away.

By Vtoodler (Vtoodler) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 10:36 pm: Edit

Pardon me for asking but what the heck is a UC. Does it mean universities and colleges.

By Kishi (Kishi) on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 10:38 pm: Edit

Lolz. UC stands for University of California, like UC Berkeley, UCLA, etc.

By I1lmatics (I1lmatics) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 02:47 pm: Edit

if u get A-'s you won't get accepted to any top 50 colleges. EVER.

By Almostdead (Almostdead) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 02:52 pm: Edit

nah... there are occasionally a few students who get in with A-'s... like recruits or legacies ;)

By Cuis (Cuis) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 03:08 pm: Edit

if i got a single a- . . .
not only would i not be able to get into even the shittiest colleges in the country, like Chico State, but i would be deprived of all my self-worth and tempted to shoot myself in the head

as you guys probabaly all know, im sure, in Christianity, it is considered one of the seven unpardonable sins . . .

i mean, com'n,
who would deserve to live after getting an A-?

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 03:37 pm: Edit

You are all being sarcastic right?

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 03:38 pm: Edit

Because you are scaring me

By Vulcano (Vulcano) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 08:34 pm: Edit

I wish sarcasm was rampant here, my brother got ONE A- and got rejected from Chico State University (Cuis, the coincidence factor there scares the crap out of me). He had a 1600 SAT, 5 800 SAT2's, 15 5's on AP exams, amazing EC's, and valedictorian at the best prep school in New York (do I really have to say the name). Also, keep in mind he was ranked first nationwide in Basketball, Football, Soccer, Baseball, and a few other sports that slipped my mind. Those A- are

By Muzicgal04 (Muzicgal04) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 09:28 pm: Edit

It wouldnt have to be rampant grade inflation....our school simply offers so many AP classes and has so many genius students who apply to Ivys and the top LACs that having any B's, or chosing not to take more than 4 AP classes a year, is enough to endanger a rank in the top 10%. More like grade deflation, when you can earn a 5 on the AP exam in multiple classes, and not receive A's in those classes because you arent one of the top students

By Enlightenment (Enlightenment) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 09:32 pm: Edit

For international students (Example: Students from Canada), what is considered an A-?

By Kkgirl06 (Kkgirl06) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 09:40 pm: Edit

Haha my school doesn't give A-'s...only A's and A+'s. 97.5 and above is an A+ and 91.5 and above is an A. Apparently A-'s have a negative connotation and my school doesnt want that to have a negative psychological effect on us students.

By Belial (Belial) on Friday, November 28, 2003 - 10:00 pm: Edit

In Alberta,

80%~100% = A
70~80 = B
60~70 = C
50~60 = D
<50 = F

Does that sound like grade inflation?


Keep in mind that: I have 85% average, yet I have a couple 7 from IB. I am well within top 5% of graduating class of 600. Our school is the 4th best public in province, around 70% continue onto universities.

By Happykid (Happykid) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 12:23 am: Edit

Belial: Do you think US schools know your grading system, or do they just recalculate the grades onto the US grading scale? Are you worried? In the US, an 85 average is just a mediocre B. What do you think?

By Clipse (Clipse) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 02:54 pm: Edit

u guys are really f--ked up if u think an A- is a bad score and lowers your chances are u kidding me? Get a life

By H0neymoon (H0neymoon) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 03:04 pm: Edit

I completely agree, this is a totally wasted post!

By Polly (Polly) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 03:14 pm: Edit

My school's transcript doesn't show + or -, jut A, B, or C.
And yeah, it is possible to get a GPA over 4 and having some Bs and Cs if in honors or AP classes.

By Belial (Belial) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 08:30 pm: Edit

My Counselor attached a grade conversion sheet with my reportcard. Alberta Education also sent the grade conversion guidline along with my transcript. I hope they read it. If they don't, than, well, I am pretty scrwed.

By Vulcano (Vulcano) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 09:08 pm: Edit

honeymoon, u thought it did affect your chances...wat the hell are u saying?

By Aerin04 (Aerin04) on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 11:01 pm: Edit

Lol, you guys are too funny... ?

And no need to be so pompous and full of yourselves to put down other schools, like "the shittiest college in country": Chico State. Where'd you get that crap from anyway? Arrogant people like you make me so mad.

By Vulcano (Vulcano) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 02:33 pm: Edit

I doubt that people here care about making nothing more than a "name" mad. Besides, face the facts, its not a good school or anything.

By Kode (Kode) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 08:16 pm: Edit

A-'s won't hurt you. Trust me.

They like to see that you challenged yourself: a B in an AP class (if your school offers them, they'll know it) is more impressive to them than an A in a regular class.

That given, yes, the people who've been saying it will hurt you ARE being sarcastic. A-'s are fine.

By Kishi (Kishi) on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 08:53 pm: Edit

No way dude! I'm being serious, A-s suck compared to A's. They're worth 1/3 of a GPA point less, and they look bad too. There's a big difference between an A- student and an A student. For UCs they don't matter, but for other colleges...

By Pyrokinesis (Pyrokinesis) on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 01:41 pm: Edit

An A-? That's HORRIBLE!!! How will you manage to get into ANY college much less EVER get a job or survive? You really screwed up!

...just adding to the general sarcasm of this discussion of course

By Nekinesk8er (Nekinesk8er) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 02:39 am: Edit

Guys! All I hear are a bunch of people who are overly worried and paranoid with grades lower than an A! Dudes, no offense, but life's complexities revolve around much more than that. Question is, if everyone gets an A, than doesn't that just mean an A represents the average person, which I assume you all are?

By Nekinesk8er (Nekinesk8er) on Monday, December 29, 2003 - 02:45 am: Edit

Oh, by the way, I got into Berkeley with out straight A's. And no, if you're wondering, my parents aren't wealthy and I'm not a legacy. I had average grades in High School (about 2.5, which most of you would call really sucky grades). I attended a community college for 2 years, where I finished an Associates Degree. I only had a 3.2 gpa. Then, I went to the University of Hawaii for one year, where I got a 3.2 gpa yet again. So how did Berkeley accept me? Simple. They saw a person who didn't care about grades, but maintained some pretty good ones. They saw a person who cared to learn and contribute to his society, not a gpa counter. They saw the real me, not the 4.0 gpa most you out there hide behind. Good luck.


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