My comments are well thought out, thank you.
Athletes can, and do, take AP classes, and do quite well.
My point is that their activity, be it art, music, sports.. will ultimately bring down their GPA, as it is only a 4.0 class.
Those that only take 5.0 AP classes, with no extracurricular activity, mathematically will always have higher GPAs, because they have way more 5.0 classes in the average.
Where it makes a difference is in the top 10 rankings at the end of their Senior year.
Having to have 4 or more 4.0 classes in your GPA mix, even if you are a straight A student, will ultimately hurt your class ranking.
They are ranked lower because they participated and excelled in extracurricular activities.
You are one hundred percent right, and I’m not impressed with this student’s academic record. Prisoners on chain gangs get a lot done, too.
Here in Los Angeles, foreign-born students (or the children of foreign-born parents) take up a huge proportion of the seats available at the University of California. These grinders are able to shut out American kids because they’ve brought their freakazoid Sunday-to-Sunday study schedules to our country.
GPAs above 4.0 are simply a way to game the system and beat out a kid who went to the prom or pursued cheerleading. You’re not smarter or more deserving — you’re exactly like an Olympic athlete who takes steroids to gain an edge.
My grandparents’, parents’, and my taxes built and pay for these schools — why is there no room at UCLA anymore for kids who played Little League?
And that is their choice - if they want the higher GPA they can choose not to play sports and instead focus on the AP courses. See - free will, free to choose - you shouldn’t expect those who want to put their all into education to share it with those who want to play.