Hello, I’m a senior who’s thinking about EDing to colleges.
Yesterday I got my score from the first AP Physics C exam which I did really bad on it. Since this was the first test of the year, it will only get harder, and I think I might get a C for the first quarter.
The problem is I’m thinking about EDing to Columbia. I got straight As throughout high school in the most challenging classes. Even in all other classes this year I’m getting As. i’m also a valedictorian of my class.
Will this one C ruin my chance?
Why accept a poor grade as inevitable because of one test score? Can you talk to the teacher on how to better prepare for tests, can you get help outside of school (either through a study buddy or by hiring a tutor)? Before you simply resign yourself as if you were fated to receiving a C, perhaps you can think of potential solutions?
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We only have two more tests left for the first quarter.
The teacher told us that the first test of the year is the only finishable one, every other tests are designed so that no one can finish. I heard from last year’s kids that the average grade on the tests without the curve is D and around C with the curve.
I’m not exceptionally good so I’ll probably end up getting Cs for the next two as well.
So have your counselor put in like exactly what you just said in their notes, if they will. This class is designed to get a C in BUT… In college you would go right to your professor and tell them you need help. Guess what? You need help now. Go to your teacher regardless of what they say and get help. Go daily if needed. High school usually is much easier then college regardless of where you go to. Don’t settle. Be the best you and your senior year is meant to get you ready for college.
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It sounds like a very difficult situation, but again I would encourage you to be proactive and see if you can salvage your grade - and if you can’t totally recover, you will still get the highest grade you are capable of, and then the chips will need to lie where they fall. But it is too early to give up - talk to the teacher ASAP. Go daily for help. Ask for info on how to prepare for the tests. Find someone smart to study with. Get a tutor. Put in the time to get the highest scores you can. It may never be enough to get an A, but perhaps you can raise it enough to get to, say, a B-. It’s worth a shot.
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If I end up getting a very low B, like 80 (my school sends number grades as quarter and semester reports), would I still have a chance in Columbia ED? I know that getting a B is not the end of the world but I’m just worried that this might be reflected as a downward trend
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A single grade will not make or break your application. But a B would be preferable to a C.
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You won’t get accepted or denied due to one class with rigor. You will also never know. Do the best you can. It’s challenging to get into Colombia and is a reach for just about everyone anyway.
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Your ED decision will be out before a semester grade is done. Is the quarter on your transcript?
Any way, one C and tons of As should not preclude you from continuing with an application strategy. It doesn’t mean you’ll get in - Columbia is very difficult to get into.
If you don’t get in, you’d never know the why - and I doubt it would be the one grade - if it’s even a part of the admission decision.
Good luck.
My school’s transcript only include year grades as letters, but we have quarter report cards in which the number grades are shown. My school would send these report cards
Also, would this look especially bad if I’m applying as an engineering major?
I don’t know if one C grade will impact your admissions to a college thwt is a reach for just about everyone anyway.
But with that C…will you still be class val?
ETA…if you do or don’t get accepted to Columbia…you will never know why.
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In the case of engineering, yes - it is likely to raise a red flag.
What math are you taking? Have you taken physics before?
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I still don’t get it. You’ll know your status b4 they see your grade. Or am I missing something ?
My first reaction here is that you should focus on what you can do to do better in AP Physics C. Engineering classes at Columbia are likely to be significantly more difficult that AP Physics C.
I will give an analogy: I was an undergraduate student at MIT. The freshman class at MIT is full of students who were all very strong in high school. Some breezed through high school and never had a class that they found difficult. They arrive at MIT and in some cases suddenly they discover that classes are difficult and homework is difficult. They need to learn good study skills in a hurry. Most succeed, but it is a wake up call.
I got my wake up call early (in high school) because there was something that I was not good at. You have just gotten your wake up call early. Take advantage of it.
This means attend every class, and always pay attention. Start your homework early – preferably the day that it is assigned. If there is anything that you are not clear about, seek out help. If there is any reading to be done, then read ahead of the class. If tutoring is available, take advantage of it. If there are any homework problems that are difficult, then make sure that you fully understand them. If there are not any difficult homework problems, then ask the teacher if you can also do a couple of more difficult problems.
I do not think that I would be concerned about what this will do to your ED application. Instead, I would both make sure that you have applied to safeties, and figure out how to do well in a very tough class. Learning how to handle a very difficult class is itself a skill.
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I took up to Calc BC. I took ap physics 1 last year and got an A. I wasn’t the top student in class but i never struggled this much.
As others have noted, it’s extremely unlikely that one poor (but passing) grade in one class for a partial year of a known high rigor class will be the make or break it in acceptance to Columbia (or its peers). Of course, you shouldn’t resign yourself to the grade but also don’t stress that’s its going to derail all your hard work.
With Columbia, there is no way to you if you will be accepted even if you had a perfect 4.0 UW and 1600 SAT. That said, if it helps, my son was accepted RD last spring and by then they had a record of a full semester with 2 B’s (after all A’s the prior two years).
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Many ED schools ask many ED applicants for Q1 grades before making their admission decision. This timing could be thru early December, when semester grades aren’t often available at that point.
Typically the request for Q1 grades goes to the HS GC. Sometimes the AOs ask for current grades as of the day they call, so the GC would have to contact each teacher and/or access the student’s grade portal. Smart GCs do this automatically if Q1 grades were relatively low.
Certainly a Q1 C is not going to help OP’s application, and we have no idea how much it might hurt.
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A single passing grade in a high rigor schedule in senior year SHOULDN’T hurt. I think even the “top” schools know that senior year is when students might take their foot off the gas pedal.
That being said, and probably undercutting a bit what I just said, try to get a B rather than a C.
Don’t stress about it. Whatever school you wind going to is the school for you. Just focus, get us much help from the teacher as you can, and show that you are trying hard.
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Although it was after acceptance, my D was in a similar situation with this class last year and the CC felt a C would definitely require an explanation - even if she was very clearly not a STEM kid. We got her a tutor and she ended up with a B, which was fine (and a 3 on both APs)