<p>Okay, say your overall GPA is about a 3.85 UW, but you maybe have a couple less-than-desirable grades (e.g., C's) mixed in there. Additionally, there is a definite upward trend (frosh/soph years were bad, junior year was basically perfect).</p>
<p>Um, just how bad will those C's look?</p>
<p>Depends what classes the Cs were in (eg. PE vs. core subject), depends on the rigor of your coursework (eg. harder classes fr&soph year), depends on what schools you’re applying to (eg. most selective vs. in-state U), depends on the applicant pool that particular year (out of your control), depends on the rest of your application (eg. test scores, essays).</p>
<p>C’s were only in history. (I love history, but I always do terrible in history classes.) My guidance counselor will mark “most rigorous courseload” without a doubt (AP + honors classes throughout high school). I’ll most likely apply to a range of schools (some top ones, some mid-tier ones, an in-state safety). The rest of my application, I think, will be pretty solid. It’s just the stupid C’s in history that I’m worried about.</p>
<p>Since junior year is the most important year and you said it was basically perfect, your C’s in history probably isn’t a problem. I would apply to a few schools that don’t look at freshman year grades, though. (Stanford, Princeton, etc.) Good luck.</p>
<p>It’s fine, as long as the courses were harder and they weren’t really consistant (as in, 4 C’s in the class over 4 years) you are good. I myself came out of freshmen year/sophmore year (in no order) with a C+, D, and 4 B minuses (grades par semester, not accumulative), and now I’m a junior with a 3.79/4.00 GPA.</p>
<p>If you can, take some classes as a local community college of the ones you didn’t do well in. Chemistry in sophmore year kicked my ass, so I got a D ): I took an intro to chem course, and an organic/biochem course, got A’s, and here I am. It REALLY does help, it shows college your initiative and drive to learn and do well, and it gives you something to talk about.</p>
<p>Poseidenj, that is really reassuring haha I’ve had a C in math for the past two years + mostly A’s with a couple B’s. What colleges are you looking at?</p>
<p>it’s fine, as long as there is not big consistency it’s fine. I did take a few classes at a community college, so that did help raise my GPA, but in my junior year I got a 4.00 first semester, and am aiming at a 4.00 2nd semester too!</p>
<p>C+ in 9th grade history semester 1, D in first semester 10th grade pre-IB chemistry, B- in 9th grade first semester math, B- 2nd semester 9th grade japanese, B- 2nd semester 9th grade science, and B- in 2nd semester 9th grade english. I had some issues on the side, but I do think if I went back I could have maintained a 4.00 GPA in 9th grade, nonetheless get those grades. At the very least though, I got a 3.00+ in 9th grade, and that should be the minimal to aim for.</p>
<p>As for colleges, I am looking at CMC/Pomona, Colorado College, Occidental, Stanford, Whitman College, Reed college, UW Seattle as a match/safety, and maybe some UCs. Of course I will narrow this down after a while. I hate “humid continental” and humid subtropical climate, so I don’t think I’ll be going to any east coast schools.</p>
<p>IDK if I’ll look at UCs though, financial aid is important to me and I’d be an OOS applicant, and they are on a budget crunch. If I did, I’d look at UCB, UCSD, and UCI. I don’t like LA’s weather, so that rules out UCLA for me. Not to mention UCs are hard to get into OOS.</p>