High school student from India.
Thank you so much for clarifying!
Yes, I imagine there are PLENTY of students who got a 4 on their AP exam and still got into Harvard. The scores you get on your AP exams have very little impact on your admission chances. You should make sure you have stellar grades, stellar ECs, and stellar essays before worrying about AP test scores. Even then, something like your letters of recommendations or interviews will hold more weight than your AP scores in many situations.
Definitely do not stress over this. Colleges do not expect every applicant to be 100% mistake free so focus on the things you can still improve!
Definitely! That said, if the 4 is in the subject you're declaring as your intended major, I might not submit it. Grades in AP or other college-level classes are much more important than AP exam scores. (Basically if you have an A in the course and got a 3 or 4 on the exam and don't submit it, that's probably fine.)
To keep this community safe and supportive:
Hello! I think you are too idealistic! Colleges, even such good colleges as Harvard, don’t look for robots that can’t make mistakes. You should pay more attention to your ECs and essays. This 4 is such a minor detail that admission committee doesn’t even notice such stuff.