<p>In my second semester sophmore year I received a D in Algebra &Trig. However I have an excuse. My math teacher has been on teacher probation for the past 3 years, she was on teacher probation when she taught me. The reason the school won't fire her is that she's good friends with the principal everyone knows this (I will not put this in my app). Also, half the students in the class dropped out and took Algebra &Trig at the Community college next door and received A's. My junior year I took Honors Pre-Calc and got a B. Is this excuse legit?</p>
<p>I'd like to hear stories from others who explained sub-par grades as well...did they get in?</p>
<p>It is not a legitimate excuse. Blaming a grade on a poor teacher is never a legitimate excuse. You will have many more poor teachers in your career, and need to learn how to deal with them. You could have gotten a tutor. You could have sought help from another teacher. You also could have dropped the course and taken it elsewhere.</p>
<p>In college admissions, one does not claim an "excuse". One offers an explanation. Yours is an excuse.</p>
<p>I agree with exactly what Chedva has already posted.</p>
<p>If every low grade could be "excused", then GPA's would be meaningless. Yes, there are sometimes legitimate explanations (again, not excuses), but this is not one. In theory, you had many options, and you chose to stick with the one that resulted in a "D". Whatever details actually came into play, this is likely all that things boil down to.</p>
<p>Not only does this show poor performance, but it seems to indicate a lack of concern/initiative/resourcefulness on your part. That's just my opinion...I'm certainly not saying it was the case, and I can't say that an adcom would pass similar judgment. In my eyes (and perhaps only mine), though, trying to excuse the grade simply reinforces this impression.</p>
<p>One low grade will not doom you, but an uncharacteristic and unexplained "D" may raise eyebrows. I suggest talking to your GC about the issue, b/c (s)he is in a better position to make a note explaining the teacher situation. It still won't excuse anything, or explain it away, but it will provide context. (S)he's also in a better position, knowing your other achievements + the colleges that interest you, to judge whether or not an addendum or interview mention of this could be helpful (not in the form of an excuse, but in the form of ownership).</p>
<p>I'll just give you my explanation and my other grades. Whaddya think:</p>
<p>After a poor junior year, I decided to move ahead to my senior year with renewed determination. While I still plan to receive the IB Diploma, I also want to be sure that I am well prepared for college courses. This is why I decided to take Calculus in addition to my IB classes. Last year, I was given the choice by my IB Mathematics teacher to take either Pre-Calculus or Calculus. Because I knew that I would need to take it in college, I decided to go into Calculus. As my grade in the class will show, it has been extremely challenging for me, as I am the only student in the class who hasnt taken Pre-Calculus. However, as the class continues, I find myself understanding more and more of the material. I am now confident that I will not only be able to pass a Calculus class at the university level, but excel in it. I also feel it is worth mentioning that there were two other students who made the same academic leap as I did, but both decided to drop out of the class because it was too challenging. I am very proud of the fact that I stayed with the class, even if my grade doesnt reflect my effort. (Update as of March 7: Though there have not been any grades released yet, but homework is coming along more quickly and tests seem less challenging)</p>
<p>Other grades:
IB/AP English HL- B
IB Biology HL- A-
IB Economics HL- A-
IB Theory of Knowledge- A-
IB Spanish SL- B+</p>
<p>31 ACT (9 Writing)
3.34 UW GPA </p>
<p>This is first semester senior year, sent to UW-Madison. Think I still have a shot?</p>
<p>One of my kids was admitted to Dickinson, another top 100 LAC and 3 third tier schools after a D+ in English on his mid year report senior year. He had emergency surgery late in the fall and was supposed to be excused from assignments, but the teacher gave him zeros for missed assignments dropping his B+ average to a D+. He pulled the grade up to a B by the end of senior year, but that D+ went out to every school he applied.
My son was afraid this teacher would fail him for the year if he/I took her on, I wanted the school to address her violating the 504 law. The guidance counselor wrote a letter of explanation and called my son's top choice schools.
I assume more competitive schools would have rejected him. Why take the chance? They have a 1000 kids with no D's appying.</p>