<p>Sorry for posting the same thread again, but I want more feedback.</p>
<p>I got a D+ in theoretical linear algebra in my state college. Part of the reason was that I didn't have a car so I couldn't get to the classes. the other part was that the class was boring... this semester, I'm retaking Linear algebra, but it's a less theoretical version of the class that I took. I'm also taking diff eq and a computer science class.</p>
<p>What are your thoughts on what colleges will think about me? my GPA prior to senior year was 3.83. My SAT IIs are good. My SAT I sucks (retaking in Jan). My ECs are focused around math and science, but mostly sports.</p>
<p>You can't say that I slacked off in that class, because I've tried my best to understand it, which accounts for my reason for retaking it.</p>
<p>My dream schools are MIT and Stanford. But before you burn me on how my chances are pretty much disintegrated, please tell me something useful such as what I can say in the note that I'm going to attach regarding my D+ in my mid year school report.</p>
<p>I agree; you should just explain why you missed all those classes. But I don't know if I'd say that the class was really boring, especially since you seem to have an interest in math and science (correct me if I'm wrong). Maybe say that it was hard to understand and you had some difficulty in comprehending the material and that that's why you're retaking the class.</p>
<p>I think i failed AP gov with a C or a D on the mid term! do you know if colleges are going to see all the grades or just a final grades report? thank you for letting me know, i am worried and very upset right now!</p>
<p>there is nothing you can really say in the note.... Not having a car is just a stupid excuse. People commute all the time. I personally sometimes have to wake up at 5:00 to take a bus to morning swim practice and take a bus back from school. There are tons of classes that are boring, but it doesn't mean you don't try. If the subject was too complicated for you, you should not have been taking it in the first place. That grade will affect you, but will not ruin your chances of getting into college. It is not the end of the world if you don't get into Stanford or MIT.</p>
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My friend got into UCLA last year with 2 C's, 2 B's and 1 A. UC's usually don't look at midyear reports, but if they are stuck between two people they will.
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^feedback?^</p>
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Not having a car is just a stupid excuse. People commute all the time.
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well you can't really hitch a ride if you're the only person in your school who bothered to continue with math after Calc III. Believe me, I did everything I could. There's 10 minutes between my last class at the HS an my college class. I skipped lunch and biked my butt off everyday trying to get there. On rainy days, it's just sht... deviating from the discussion, but do you know how much crap you get from drivers if you are a biker? I got hit by a car when I was on my bike once...</p>
<p>O, you should have made it more clear that the class started almost right after school ended But, could you not have taken it at a different time? or at a different school, like a community college? or maybe taken a different math class, since mathematics branches out in different fields? I understand you had a difficult time, but these are some questions the officers might respond with. </p>
<p>What feedback about my friend do you want? He had bad grades senior year because of senioritis, but his essays did the trick. He did not include a note explaining his grades, because there really was not anything to explain. And a D is pretty bad. C is passing, but D is almost a Fail.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don't blame the grade on having to commute. I assume you knew you were going to have to do so to get to class. In other words, you knew that you would have to commit to commuting to your state college when you applied, but once you were enrolled you didn't like the commute. I hear you on being a biker among drivers. However, adcoms will not want to hear that story. Just tell them your grade doesn't correspond to your ability and that you are taking the class again to prove this point.</p>
<p>^ I like your suggestion for me to be concise in my explanation. But I think that what you're saying is given -- too obvious. Actually, transportation wasn't the main factor. It was the class. Before I took it, it didn't have any prerequisites other than a couple of semesters of Calculus. But now, it has a prereq of a class called intro to proofs. Considering that the entire course was proof based and that I hate proofs, I had a very hard time trying to understand the class. Plus, it was the professor's first time teaching the course, and he went really fast. Some of the Math/Aerospace majors were able to keep. But I couldn't. I even found a MIT professor's video lectures about Linear Algebra online. (Strang's lectures) But they only covered a fraction of what we did in my class.</p>
<p>So again, a bunch of factors contributed to my D+. Not only would it be boring to read for the adcoms, I don't really want to talk about it myself. Yet I really want to clarify. Overall, I don't regret my decision in not dropping the course. I actually learned to be aware of my limits.</p>
<p>So how should I put this story into a nutshell paragraph? (I really felt that this could have been a good essay... Instead, I talked about how I cut my own hair... DAMIT lol)</p>
<p>Plus, I'm a senior. Don't forget that senioritis applies for me too.</p>
<p>None of the reasons you have posted here are good. MIT will expect a student who will do well there to have good judgement. Did you not notice the pre req when you signed up? OK, mistakes happen, but within a class or two did you not notice it was about proofs and you didn't have the background?</p>
<p>Same goes with transportation. How were you planning to get there when you signed up?</p>
<p>I would not share any of these excuses with MIT. </p>
<p>With not great SATs and this grade, I'd put my efforts behind more realistic college options.</p>
<p>I think it would be sufficient to say that the colleges changed the class curriculum this semester, and thus changed the prereqs, some of which cover topics (proofs) that you have not covered.</p>
<p>"I bit off more than I could chew and took on a challenge I wasn't ready for" is one approach. "I signed up for the course but didn't do well because the professor sucked, I hate proofs and motorists are mean to bicyclists" is another. I leave it to you to choose whichever you think is the more accurate description of your own case.</p>
<p>Why did you take this class? Is it for the love of learning or what? I tend to agree with hmom, there is nothing you can do but to apply for more schools that are not as selective as MIT and Stanford.</p>
<p>^ Yea, Rice is my realistic #1. MIT and Stanford are my fantasies.</p>
<p>I took the course because I wanted to get ready for my college career and development as an engineer. Also, my HS pays for it :D. Besides, my HS ran out of math/science courses for me to take. Basically, I was trying to make the most of my opportunities and challenge myself as much as possible. It came down to whether I was going to take hard Linear Algebra or normal Linear Algebra. I chose hard... Didn't really think it through as much as I should have I guess. Ultimately, however, my latent intention (the personal one) was to just get math over with, you know? I got a B+ in Calc III because the professor was crap (he physically used his chalk to try to illustrate the concept of a vector field and his pictures were crap too)</p>
<p>Xmas, one tip as you head towards college. Stop blaming others and situations for short falls. It's all about personal responsibility from here.</p>
<p>I had forgotten until I peaked back for a look at your stats that you were the poster who insisted you could get into top schools with below par grades/scores by just being yourself. Hopefully CC has helped your thinking on this evolve and you have safeties beyond Rice.</p>
<p>ok hmom cmon, I'm not stupid. Thanks for your advice, but I'm not relying on personal qualities. I'm just hoping because there have been miracles.</p>
<p>Didn't mean to make excuses. Just trying to find out how to explain on my note in my mid year report. I'm just desperate to get out of state right now to be honest. I understand that getting into good college is just an accomplishment to brag about to my kids. So please understand that I'm not merely applying to colleges just because it's MIT or Stanford. There are various reasons that goes even beyond academics such as my family's financial and domestic situation.</p>