I know that USNA is a STEM heavy school, so I was wondering if grades in STEM classes would be looked at more and hold more weight compared to other classes. Ironically, I am not a stem person, and struggle in those classes but excel in others. Im about to finish up my last week of the first semester of my junior year and assuming everything this week goes ok and there's no drastic changes I'll have a B in honors physics and (hopefully) honors pre calc. However I have an A in AP Lang, AP US History, AP Psychology, and engineering. Will those two stem classes be held to more weight as compared to the other four classes I have?
Grades in Certain Classes
- Thread starter seb.g.b
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My own opinion and I do not work in Admissions but I would wager that As and Bs in those classes coupled with strong standardized test scores once you start taking those will make you competitive academically.
usna1985
15-Year Member
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Yes, grades in h.s. STEM courses carry more weight than grades in courses such as psychology, art, music, etc. However, USNA is also interested in grades in core courses such as English, history and advanced language. In sum, if you struggle in STEM in h.s., you will likely struggle at USNA.
As an aside, Bs aren't fatal. Cs and Ds are obviously problematic.
As an aside, Bs aren't fatal. Cs and Ds are obviously problematic.
No Ds. One C in freshman math, but that can be attributed to my not taking it seriously and growth can be seen as I got an A in math this year. My final this week in math determines if i have a B or C in math for this semester. However, all of my courses are either honors or AP.
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Success in high school STEM usually indicates potential for success in college STEM. The USNA STEM curriculum is not at all easy. DD excelled in AP courses and the math portion of the SAT, but still had to work very, very hard to do well at USNA.
So yes, STEM will matter more whether it’s in the admissions process or in thriving at USNA itself. Lean into your senior-year classes because that discipline and rigor will be needed on the Yard. But as noted above, your strength in non-STEM will be critical also. DD said English and history were as challenging as STEM.
So yes, STEM will matter more whether it’s in the admissions process or in thriving at USNA itself. Lean into your senior-year classes because that discipline and rigor will be needed on the Yard. But as noted above, your strength in non-STEM will be critical also. DD said English and history were as challenging as STEM.
Yeah im aiming for a high math score on the SAT. My guess is that I can hopefully score 750+ on it after studying.