Even with holistic admissions, your grades and course rigor matter more than anything else. Strong grades in rigorous classes are the foundation for a successful application to selective colleges.
It’s Grades AND Rigor
But before we go into the details, let’s start with an often asked question:
- Q: Is it better to get an B in the most difficult class, or an A in an easier class?
- A: For the most selective schools, you want an A in the most difficult class.
In other words, both rigor and grades matter. It’s not that you need to be perfect, as a A- or B+ or two can still be ok if the rest of your application is stellar. But your overall record needs to be that of doing very well in a rigorous curriculum.
What does “Rigor” Mean?
There are two things you want to keep in mind here. First, your high school counselor will send a recommendation letter to each school. You want the letter to say you took the “most rigorous” curriculum available. You should ideally find out by freshman year what is required to qualify for this.
Second, you want a curriculum that selective colleges view as being objectively rigorous. But what makes a curriculum rigorous? The answer varies by school, but here is one example of a rigorous curriculum:
- Math: 4 years of mathematics, ending in AP Calculus BC
- Science: 4 years of science, typically containing at least two of the following: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C – Mechanics or AP Physics C – E/M
- Social Studies: 4 years, including AP US History or AP World History
- English: 4 years of English, ending in AP English Literature
- Foreign Language: 4 years (often starting before high school), finishing with the AP exam for the language
If your high school doesn’t offer these all courses, colleges won’t expect you to have taken them. On the other hand, if you attend a high school that offers 20+ APs, the selective schools will be happy if you take around 8 APs, but they won’t care much beyond that.
