Grades and Ivy League

Grades and Ivy League December 28, 2012 In Ivy League admissions, getting great grades in the most challenging curriculum that your high school offers is of great importance. Getting good (but not great) grades in the most challenging curriculum your high school offers often doesnt cut it. Getting great grades in a curriculum that is not your high schools most rigorous often doesnt cut it either. Many times, our students will not only excel in the most challenging curriculum their high school offers, but theyll choose to take even more AP exams in courses not offered by their school. And theyll excel on those exams, too! Grade grubbing will hurt your chances for Ivy League admission. But this post isnt about getting great grades in the most challenging curriculum. This post is about grade grubbing and how it can impact your chances for Ivy League admission. In short, dont grade grub. It jeopardizes your chances for admission. It paints you as unlikeable. It inspires nobody to want to fight for you if the admissions decision is a close call. Highly selective colleges like the Ivy League colleges want students who love learning. And they mean that. They want students who want to expand their minds, to learn new things, and to listen to what their classmates have to say because they think it might change their opinions. What they dont want are students who only care about getting great grades. In life, there arent As and Bs. And college admissions counselors know this. Its why they want students who love learning for learnings sake. If youre not sure exactly what grade grubbing is, heres an example: Bobby got a 92 on his chemistry exam, but he asks his teacher if she can raise it to a 95 so that he can get an A. What explanation does he give? That difference will change his life. If he gets a 92, he wont get into Princeton. If he gets a 95, he will. This is a classic example of grade grubbing. Its possible that teacher will feel so guilty for Bobby that shell give him a 95, but at what cost? Shes certainly not going to write as glowing of a letter of recommendation as she may have had Bobby not presented himself as someone who cares so very much about his grade. Nobody likes people who care so much about their grades. Be cool about it. Dont grade grub. Itll improve your odds of admission to Ivy League colleges.