Hi,
I just finished my first semester of high school and I got a C in my Algebra 2 Honors class. I feel like such a failure. I have decided to drop the class and take regular Algebra 2 instead next semester. Do you think that this will look really bad when I apply to colleges. Here are the grades in my all classes:
Spanish 2 - A
PE - A
Digital Photography 1 - A
English 1 Honors - A
World History Honors - A
Biology Honors - A
Algebra 2 Honors - C
I also play soccer, participate in clubs and do volunteer work. I’d really like to go to a university like UCSD, or UCI. I really worked hard in this class, I tried everything, but all my efforts were useless. This is really worrying me. Thanks for responding.
Honors courses look really well on applications. I don’t think you’ll be screwed when it comes to admissions, but it could hurt you a tiny bit. I wouldn’t have dropped it. Next time just constantly go to tutoring and stuff. If you keep taking honors and APs, and doing will you will be fine.
@pineconearmy
You mentioned this is your first year of high school, and colleges recognize that is a big jump for many kids. So I would not panic about a single first-semester C.
Here’s where I would spend my energies if I were you:
Whether you stay in Honors or not, you need to strategize. You have another semester of Algebra 2 and then you probably have precalculus, and calculus in future years. Is there a tutoring center at your high school where you could go for help? Do you have a parent, older sibling or other person in your circle who could help you with math when you hit a roadblock?
Picapole is right. Math changes in high school especially in the upper levels. It’s not just a matter of memorizing the formulas and plugging in the numbers any more. You are suddenly expected to think a lot more abstractly and demonstrate in depth understanding by using what you’ve learned with math problems that you haven’t seem before in the homework. For lots of kids, this is really tough in 9th grade or even 10th. That ability to abstract comes a bit later - and/or requires developing some new ways of studying math. A good tutor or a teacher can help you. In the meantime, its not a big deal to drop to regular Algebra. Better to get a solid background in math than limp along at a higher level.
Schools want to see an upward trend academically, they know some students mature a bit later, and one C in a field of As isn’t a big deal. Don’t beat yourself up.