Hello, I am currently a high school student with a 3.55 uw gpa. I took high school and dual enrollment classes as a Junior, and did terrible my first semester with 2 C’s and a B. In the last 3 semester I have gotten that college GPA up to around a 3.3 but am wondering if these college courses taken in high school will affect my admissions changes. Thank you!
It depends where you apply, but they could. You will need to report all DE courses on your applications. If they are electives and not core courses, they might have less of an effect, but colleges will certainly review these grades.
Furthermore, if you ever apply to grad school, law school, med school, etc, you will need to submit your DE transcripts and they will be considered part of your college GPA for admissions purposes. This is why it is critical to only take DE classes if you plan to work really hard at and believe you can do well in. These grades will not only be a part of college admissions, but will follow you beyond college if you continue your education beyond a bachelors.
But of course you can’t change the past, so you must look ahead. As mentioned, if these were electives, probably less of an issue than if they were in core courses. For most colleges, they shouldn’t completely tank your chances, but unfortunately won’t help you.
1 Like
There is an option to redo these courses, and take only the second GPA. Would that be a good option?
It really depends on what schools you’re applying to. If you plan to apply to highly selective/competitive schools, it might be worth it.
If not, then you should be OK - there are worse things in life an occasional C or a B. Most students have a few clunky grades and it’s not the end of the world.
Ok thank you.
Perhaps the most important thing at this point and to figure out where you went wrong. Was the class harder than you had expected? Were you not adequately prepared for the material? Did you have difficulty with time management? Did you have difficulty working more independently as DE classes sometimes require? Was there a life issue that got in the way (illness, family problem, etc)?
Can you pinpoint what went wrong and how you can prevent it from going wrong again? That’s really important as you start thinking about college. See what you can learn from this experience and how you can make sure to improve in the future as you begin your college career.
3 Likes
Do you mean the college thru which you are taking the dual enrollment classes offers this and will erase any record of you previously taking them? Because some college systems such as UC in Calif only let you retake a class if you got a D or lower in it. They can’t stop you from retaking it, of course, but if they see the same course twice on a transcript and you passed it the first time then that is the grade they will use.
Also given you are currently a senior in HS and you seem to be talking about year-long courses, how are you going to be able to repeat them if you aren’t already retaking them?
1 Like
It is a one semester class and they offer to exclude the course from the GPA if you retake it. I would retake it next semester.
Who are “they”?
Note that colleges or graduate / professional schools that you apply to later may have policies on how repeated courses and their grades are treated or calculated into GPA that differ from that of your current high school and college.
3 Likes
That is meaningless. The only thing that matters is whether both grades are on the transcript they’ll give you or only the newer grade. Colleges don’t use the gpa supplied by your HS & dual-enrollment school, they calculate it on their own based on the courses and grades on your transcript.
Furthermore if you retake the class next semester and you are a senior now (since you posted about classes you took last year as a junior) then the grade you get won’t be given until May/June, well after colleges have made their admission decisions. So how can a higher grade not known before decisions are made help?
2 Likes
What was the class in which you got a C? Did you take a more advanced class in that subject and grt a B or A?
It was business calculus- I did yes I got a B B+ or A in all 6 business classes after
1 Like
And did you take another math class?
College calc is always difficult and if you were in 11th grade it may have been a shock! If you took Business Stats and got an A it’d be good. If you haven’t taken it, register for a Statistics class (algebra-based, not calculus-based – there are 2 kinds).
I assume you want to be a business major but don’t plan on having a quantitative business major like Finance - what majors are you thinking of and what colleges do you see as good fits and good targets? If you plan on a major or a business school that requires more math, retaking Business Calculus would be a good idea since it’ll ensure you have full mastery of the concepts before moving on to more advanced concepts.
I definitely will retake business calc, but I am planning on transferring. I got a B in statistical analysis and an A- in managerial finance which are both pretty math heavy courses. I am just hoping they look past these grades- especially since I was 15 (I am very young for my grade) and with a heavy course load. Thank you for your response.
If you are dual enrolled, you wouldn’t apply as a transfer but as a first year student; you would then get advanced placement at the college you choose attend.
This is actually better than hurrying through college, because you have a head start AND you can start with internships, co-ops, externship, etc. Earlier than other freshmen AND you can take a greater number of specialized courses (especially if your internship’s mentor or HR at that company recommends courses).
And it’s better financially, because freshmen applicants get the best scholarships. 
In short, applying as a freshman with DE credit is win-win.
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.