<p>My overall unweighted GPA in high school has been a 98 on a 100 scale. However, in senior year Q1 I got a 90 in AP Spanish and 93 in AP Gov, would this put me out of the race as a competitive applicant to Ivy league and pseudo-Ivy (duke, mit) schools</p>
<p>In the first place, your definition of a bad grade is both off-putting and disingenuous.</p>
<p>In the second place, no, it will not put you out of the running. Whether you get accepted or rejected to any of these fine schools will not be due to a 90 in AP Spanish.</p>
<p>
You might want to use a term like highly selective research university in the future.</p>
<p>Those schools don’t exclusively look at grades. In some instances, you can give a reason for your decline in your essay, but only if it’s significant (ex: medical, family, etc.). Anyways, your ECs should hopefully balance it out.</p>
<p>@skieurope
I promise you, good sir, I did not mean anything like that. Its just that having such high freshman, sophomore, and junior averages is in contrast to my senior year “mid-report”. I don’t want to show a negative trend, as if I am “slacking”, even though I am not - that was my only concern.</p>
<p>It won’t put you out of the running, but it might hurt you.</p>
<p>@marvin100 That’s unfortunate…thing is by the time that midyear reports go out, Jan 1, our school only has Q1 grades out, because Q2 grades are at January end…so 
How bad do you think it’ll be?</p>
<p>Is there space for a counselor to add stuff about how difficult the course is? Besides the recommendation letter, that is.</p>
<p>it will have virtually no effect… your just paranoid lol</p>
<p>@thegrant thanks, man. college admissions are really stressful and scary. Thanks for being nice about it, and not like saying I am being disingenuous, when I really was (still a little am) scared. I even talked to my guidance counselor but he doesn’t have much experience with many kids applying to Ivys, so he wasn’t too helpful. Ill just try to work super super hard, and like go so tryhard…I haven’t since like freshman year.</p>
<p>If you’re applying RD, you’ll have semester grades in by the time they decide - in fact they’ll be expecting them, so have your GC send them in at the end of Jan… So plenty of time to raise those grades before they’re finalized.</p>
<p>@MrMom62 Oh, interesting. I didn’t know that second quarter grades are still sent.</p>
<p>Boy, @lb43823, with that slippage in your grades, you’ll be very fortunate to be admitted to even a pseudo-pseudo-Ivy.
</p>
<p>@TopTier Hopefully you are kidding…</p>
<p>@lb43823: Every bit as much as your were about “pseudo-Ivy.” </p>
<p>Nooooooo two A-'s!!! Don’t worry about it too much </p>
<p>@lb43823 CC becomes a sounding board for people who have freak out moments – that’s understood. But it can be mostly avoided if the students sit back and apply some logic to their situation (which, i agree can be very difficult). You’re fine. </p>
<p>And never use the term “pseudo-ivy” ever again! LOL</p>
<p>@lb43823: Briefly to add to @T26E4 's fine post (#15), another term to NEVER, EVER use is “lower Ivies” (like “pseudo-Ivy,” many individuals who have worked very long and very hard to earn degrees from elite (non-HYP) National Research Universities and LACs will find your youthful gaffe slightly offensive). </p>
<p>@T26E4 Thanks so much guys, just hoping I get into Princeton SCEA O.O</p>