C killing my chances

Well, end of Junior year and im going to have a C for AP USH, my first ever C. I know it doesnt look good, but my Cumulative GPA is 4.6 and Im going to have 3 A’s and 1 B in addition to it, so that still makes it a 4.4, which isnt horribly bad. So will it completely screw me?

<p>Can you explain why you got a C? If the class was particularly harshly graded, you can probably mention that on the app, and it won't hurt you as badly...</p>

<p>depends on what schools you are looking at. But, I can assure you that is is EXTREMELY rare that anyone gets into an Ivy with a C, since they turn down thousands of straight A students. (rare as defined as someone with the last name of Kennedy or Gates, having played at Carnegie Hall as a headliner, or the ability to throw a fastball 90 mph, or be a star hockey player....)</p>

<p>But, as noted above, if your GC can explain that your APUS teacher came from Oxford and only gives an A to someone who writes a 50 page dissertation, then you'd be ok. OTOH, if the school grade report shows that 25% of APUS kids earn an A.......</p>

<p>Gates isn't a rare last name, there are 4 people at my school with it. :P</p>

<p>I think a C is more often forgiven by top schools when a potential humanities major gets a C in AB Calc. APUSH, however, requires only time and memorization on the part of a smart kid. So yes, I'd have to agree that a C will hurt a bit at top schools.</p>

<p>Below the top 20, I think one C is easily forgiven.</p>

<p>I know that you may have had your heart set on one of the most prestigious schools, but it is more important to find a good fit. This may work out better for you since you will have to judge the schools more on their characteristics instead of their USWNR prestige ranking. Instead of only looking at brand names, consider the important factors such as urban/rurul/suburban, university/LAC, large/small/midsize, public/private, and etc. If you care a lot about warm weather, the Emory would be better for you than Harvard. Do you want a campus where frats and sororities are important? Do you want a college with Division 1 sports? These are the type of questions that are important in finding a school that will make you happy. Believe it or not, people go to Harvard or Yale and don't like it. </p>

<p>It's a lottery at the top ten schools anyway. For everyone they accept, there are four or five almost identical applicants that they deny. I would keep away from HYPSM unless you still want to try your luck. I think you could still have a shot at any school out of the top ten or fifteen or twenty on the USNWR list.</p>

<p>what if u get a A- first semester . c+ in another semester.
and you can't explain it..because u just got it.</p>

<p>how should it be explained??
(lie?)</p>

<p>oh and bluebayo,
you're not serious..right?</p>

<p>""But, I can assure you that is is EXTREMELY rare that anyone gets into an Ivy with a C, since they turn down thousands of straight A students. ""</p>

<p>What if, school is EXTREMELY deflated tho?</p>

<p>NEVER, ever lie on your app. It's just morally and ethically wrong. </p>

<p>Chanman: sorry, but I am serious. According to national stats, ~40% of kids in the US graduate with a 4.0 or better (this includes college prep and high school credit only classes). </p>

<p>Each and every Ivy turns down students who are taking 3-5 APs every year, and receive straight A's or maybe 1-2 B's, so a C sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. OTOH, there are a handful of (primarily) private schools in the nation (out of 35,000 high schools) that have serious grade deflation and receive recognitiion for that fact -- the WSJ had an article on one recently -- that's what I mean by rare. Rare also means last name of Gates and living in Redmond Washington with a small trust fund that daddy may leave behind when you graduate.</p>

<p>Hey if your last name is Gates and living in Redmond Washington you may not want to go to Ivy, you may want to follow daddy's footsteps.</p>

<p>In my school, C means average and can be a solid grade. I don't know what's going on in the States but when we get students from there, the parents occasionally come running in at report card time saying things like my son can't get a "B." I mean B means good. What's wrong with that? When my son started to get his transcripts together at the end of last year and he had a 3.5 and I started looking around on this site, I was shocked. In the end, what was more important was the quality of work he did during high school not his gpa.</p>

<p>Or for that matter SAT scores. You have to ask, "what distinguishes me from everyone else?" Time and again on his acceptance letters the admissions officer wrote, "your ideas will be a great addition to the classroom." I believe more than anything else, especially at the small schools, they are looking to create an interesting class each year. So apply to schools where you will add a bit of diversity and don't worry so much about grades.</p>

<p>Tyler:</p>

<p>your school may be one of those "rare" schools. </p>

<p>On the parents board, the list of acceptances from Thomas Jefferson magnet in Virginia were posted...with a half dozen accpeted to Harvard alone, that is definitely one of those top, rare schools, where a C would be pretty good, and not likely to be considered negatively.</p>

<p>But, IMO, these schools are rare. With 35,000 high schools in the US, we have 35,000 vals, 35,000 sals, 70,000 football captains, 350,000 top 10'ers, etc.....compare that to the amount of slots at the Ivies.</p>

<p>I live neasr TJ. I'm one of those DC private schoolers though</p>

<p>What about a C in IB HL Math? My D (just finished junior year) thought she might get a C 1st semester, but got a B. However, 2nd semester, she did get that C, mostly b/c she didn't finish the final exam (she just ran out of time). Prior to the final, she was at about 80%. Her first C ever. Prior to that, all Bs in honors math classes.</p>

<p>D still has a 4.5 gpa and took HL math instead of SL (the one year, "easier" course) because she said that she wanted to improve her math abilities. She has A's accross the board in all of her science classes: honors bio, honors chem, and IB SL physics, and is taking physiology and another IB science class next year. D wants to major in science or pre-med, but she is concerned that "no decent school" will admit her with that C in HL math. </p>

<p>Is she correct?</p>

<p>pebbles,
it depends on what you define as decent. The ivies, for example, are pretty picky, and a C may (or may not) hurt. Schools that have to reject 9 out of 10 kids have to make the cut based on something. If your D's transcript is good otherwise, she has a lot of great schools to look at.</p>

<p>What about a C in normal US? I'm a kid who has always gotten A's in math and science classes and a B first semester US. I just can't stand teh subject.</p>

<p>It depends on where you are looking, and how strong the rest of your transcript is. At the vast majority of schools, a semester grade of C in one class isn't going to matter.</p>

<p>It might be worthwhile to mention that engineering majors are accepted differently than other majors. For engineers, the admissions process is much more numbers driven. Also, your SAT Math scores are very important.</p>

<p>At UCs, it shouldnt hurt that much.. since most of them have a cap of 4.5 anyways...
And they dont bother looking at individual grades...</p>

<p>At Ivies, it would hurt but not that much.. I heard about ppl getting into top ivies with a few Bs and Cs... (sometimes w/ a D)..
since Ivies look more at Awards, ECs, SAT IIs, Advanced Program Participation (IB/AP/MYP/Magnet), and Essay...</p>

<p>Ivies reject many ppl w/ 4.0s Unweighted and 1600 SAT.. Thats because they are obsessive about school studying and cannot apply their knowledge outside of school..</p>

<p>Harvard would rather accept someone w/ 3.8 Unweighted and 4.4 Weighted with Great Involvement and Awards
than
some geek with 4.0 Unweighted, 5.0 Weighted that sits with the book 24/7</p>

<p>think about that....</p>

<p>After an applicant has demonstrated a certain level of academic achievement such as a 3.8 (uw) and 1500 SAT, then getting a higher gpa or a 1600 SAT doesn't help much. They do then care more about the EC's and etc. However, nobody is getting a D or more than one C in a regular high school and still being admitted without a very strong hook. Perhaps someone who grew up in the ghetto with drug-addicted parents, or someone who won an Olympic gold medal, or someone whose parents brought the school a new building.</p>