Am I doomed to not be able to go to a UC?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello Forums,</p>

<p>First off I would like to say I'm not the brightest student, so please be easy on my dilemma here. </p>

<p>I'm currently a Junior in High School and up til now I always had straight As.
I live in a "farm" town where education isn't all that competitive, and I stand out as the top 5 ranking students easily. There isn't much education advantages offered here.</p>

<p>Weighted:
Freshman 1st SEM: 4.0
Freshman 2nd SEM: 4.0
Sophomore 1st SEM: 4.16 (AP Biology and Honors Pre-Calculus)
Sophomore 2nd SEM: 4.16 (AP Biology and Honors Pre-Calculus)</p>

<p>And now Junior year, I started off great but being really dumb in math adding on family illness that distracted me for the last half of the semester killed me.</p>

<p>Leadership Class: A
AP Calculus AB: F
AP US HISTORY: B+ (Sadly I had 89.8%.)
English: A
Art: A
Marine Biology Honors: B
Spanish 3 Honors: B </p>

<p>I failed Calculus and that was what doomed me, I wanted to DROP the class since the semester is about to start. I know I'm CAPABLE of at least getting a C, but I don't want to jeopardize my transcript any further. I went to my school counselor to talk about dropping my class, and the first thing she said was, "If you don't mind going to a State University, not saying it's a bad place but there's no way you can make it to a UC if you drop, colleges will think you are a slacker." </p>

<p>And that just dumbstruck me because I don't know what to do, I know UCs are EXTREMELY competitive, like SD or Cal..but am I really DOOMED like to a point where it's not even possible for me to go to UCs like San Diego? </p>

<p>I have not yet taken my SATs/ACTs yet.
I do swimming and water polo as a school sport, participate in clubs that do community services.</p>

<p>2 questions,</p>

<p>What should I do about my Calculus AB class? I don't want to keep the class and taint my 2nd semester grades, but is dropping it worse in terms of colleges thinking I'm a quitter?
Keep the class, MAYBE PASS IT WITH A C, or drop and replace with an easier math course like Alg 2? (I took it at the college but it didn't count in HS Transcript.. so I still need my 4 year recommended!)</p>

<p>Also looking at my transcript now am I doomed to not be able to go to a UC? I feel like I'm now limited to JCs and state universities..</p>

2

<p>Sorry to say it but unless there were REALLY REALLY REALLY extreme circumstances, a fail in any class basically eliminates your chances for UCs like Berkeley, LA, SD, Davis, and Santa Barbara. You can still try your luck with the other UC schools, but have some backup options.</p>

3

<p>I’m sorry I actually received a D-… Not much of a help but am I still in the same boat? I’m really desperate right now, Is a D an automatic disqualification as well.</p>

4

<p>Well, it definitely hurts you. Also depends major, because if you apply to engineering be prepared for the rejection letters. But since you say you suck at math that wouldn’t be a smart idea to begin with. I wouldn’t say a D is an automatic disqualification, but those 5 UC schools look out of your reach.</p>

<p>If you really want to attend a top tier UC school, go to a JC and work your *** off.</p>

5

<p>It really sucks knowing that one letter grade in one class can be the major decision point, but it’s my fault for doing semester Algebra 2 at the college to skip into the next level in high school.</p>

<p>I’m guessing even with high SAT/ACT scores it wouldn’t be a help? Right now I only have 2 years of math under my belt and with UC recommendation of 4 years, I don’t know what to do right now, Calculus weighs down my chances of getting As in my other classes as well because I dedicate so much time trying to get the material down.
If I drop Calculus and do Algebra 2 (Since it’s not counted in my HIGH SCHOOL transcript.) will colleges really look down on me and reject me on the basis of the fact that I “downgraded” I want to do this to SAVE my butt and be able to get straight As (4.33 with my schedule)and at least bring UP my GPA Average.</p>

<p>Or should I stay in Calculus and face the possibility of another unfortunate grade, I’d say even working my butt off the most I can get is a C or B- if I’m lucky.</p>

<p>I need to make a decision before my semester starts in 2 days and would be too late to drop it IF I was to.</p>

<p>[ EXTRA INFO ]
By the time I graduate I would have these essential years of classes completed.</p>

<p>5 or 6 years of LAB sciences completed. (I Plan on taking AP Chem and AP Physics next year.)
3.5 years of Math (since a D doesn’t count as passing even in AP Right?)
4 years of English
3 years of foreign language (Up to Spanish 3 Honors)</p>

<h2>Science is my strong point, and it’s going to be my major as well… but most science includes math so I’m at a deadlock.</h2>

6

<p>A high SAT/ACT score does help, but you have to realize that Berkeley and UCLA expect both a high SAT and a high GPA. But if you can break 2200 then UC San Diego might be within your sights, I’m not so sure. I’m even less sure on what you should do with your math classes. I recommend speaking to your Guidance Counselor and really pushing him/her to give you a good answer. I have no clue what would serve you better, but if I were in your situation I would continue with Calc AB. I don’t know how hard that class is at your high school but think about it like this. If you can’t handle the demands of Calc AB, at least on the CollegeBoard AP Level, you will really struggle in a top UC school.</p>

7

<p>Go to a UC college fair and ask about that grade and it’s impact. If you think you might have a chance to increase that grade you sort of redeem your grade for the first semester if you bring up the grade. At least that was what we were told by UC admissions reps during a UC college fair thing.</p>

8

<p>I don’t have all your story, tl;dr</p>

<p>But repeating Alg II after taking it at a college doesn’t nothing for you. No points for that, you might as well not take a math.</p>

<p>You do not need straight A’s to get into those colleges.</p>

<p>For UC, I believe it isn’t how many years of math that matter, it is the highest level attained. 3 units is required while 4 is recommended. Your calculus would be equivalent to 4 units, if you get a C or higher in the 2nd semester.</p>

<p>You need to salvage the math situation. The best way to do that is to continue the math and get a higher grade in the 2nd semester. That is the strongest position to be in. And your GC, who has more info that the posters here has confirmed that.</p>

<p>You will just have to have a really dedicated semester with more work than normal and not let life situations distract you. </p>

<p>Remember that UC’s are holistic in admissions process so they will consider your whole story. A ‘D’ is hard to recover from because there is so much competition for slots. But it is possible.</p>

9

<p>What were your math classes 9th and 10th grades? Did you skip over some math to get to calc in your junior year? It sounds like you were not well prepared for this course. Is there an option to drop down to regular calculus or another math course that might be more appropriate your 2nd semester? If there are no other choices, can you get some extra tutoring help outside of class?</p>