<p>Problem: I'm a good applicant for UVa, not great, but very good. I recently got a C in Calculus on my semester grades, first one EVER in HS. Now I feel like a complete idiot. In honesty, the class should be called an Hnrs. class (there is another Calc class below this one) but my idiot school chose not to name it so. Only 1 or 2 people have A's, with 6-12 with Bs and probably 8-10 with Cs or lower (class average on the final was a 63%). My C is very high and I worked, but I still messed up. Now I want to know what to do. What should I do? Simply not discuss it and hope it goes away, talk to the teacher (he's a UVa grad but obviously thinks I'm an idiot), or what? Thanks, I'm sure some of you might have similar experiences.</p>
<p>That's a tricky situation. Some suggest not to discuss it so as NOT to bring more attention than it deserves. Others suggest tackling it outright and discussing just what happened.
If you don't discuss it, it might look like you are just getting lazy with your senior year. If you haven't submitted your mid year grades yet, then I think I would write something brief about what a challenging course calculus has been for you and that you are working very diligently. Explain how this grade was not what you had anticipated, and that you found it distressing as well. This is not your norm and your prior record speaks for your overall performance.
When you report your mid year grades, there is a box there where you type things out. They leave you room to write in or explain anything that you want to. If I were you, that's what I'd do. Good luck, you sound like a good honest person. These things happen in life. Sorry.</p>
<p>ha, I lol'd at the thread title</p>
<p>In all honestly I would go with the route of not mentioning it, or barely mentioning it. If your GPA is good, and you are strong in other areas, you wont be rejected because of one C.</p>
<p>I agree with JJ that the prudent thing is to explain the "C" when you submit your mid-year grades. Not doing so carries too much risk to your application.</p>
<p>By explaining the grade (without making excuses for it) you are taking an obvious negative issue/situation and addressing it head-on with a clear and heartfelt discussion along the lines JJ suggested. Briefly explain what happened and how uncharacteristic it is in terms of your past academic record and your present and future academic ambitions. Make sure it's understood that your Calculus grade resulted from an inability to master the subject matter rather than from a lack of effort. Tell them you intend to do your best to raise the grade in the upcoming semester.</p>
<p>If you don't mention it, you leave open the possibility that someone might assume that you don't care about it, or aren't concerned by it. That kind of thinking and/or conclusion could DOOM your chances to be offered admission to UVa. The vast majority of folks you are competing against for a seat in the Fall of 2008 class will NOT be presenting UVa with a transcript that sports a "C" in the first semester of their senior year. Those who do, and who provide no rationale for the grade, will likely be relegated to the WaitList, or worse, IMO.</p>
<p>If that's not the fate you seek for your application (and I know it isn't), then I think you should address the out of character Calculus grade when you file your mid-year grade report. To do otherwise would almost certainly undermine everything else you have worked to accomplish, and hope to attain.</p>
<p>ANCooky:</p>
<p>One other thought comes to mind that might help with the quandry of what to do, or not do, about your sub-par Calculus grade.</p>
<p>I don't know how long your school's grading periods are (6 weeks/9 weeks/etc.) and when they end. Also, your high school may, or may not, issue progress reports during the current semester if your grade in any given class looks like it may move by a letter grade or more (e.g. "C" to a "B" or "A"); I know my son's high school used such a Progress Report system.</p>
<p>Obviously you will be working like a Turk this semester to raise your grade to something more in line with your past performance. If you succeed in raising the grade, either on a end of period or even interim period basis, I would encourage you to send a brief letter to the Admissions Office as a Supplement to your Application, with documentation from your HS of the improved grade. You might consider including a note/letter from your Calculus teacher that discusses the efforts you have made to bring the Calculus grade up to something much more in line with your historical academic record.</p>
<p>Obviously it will be incumbent on you to maintain a strong academic focus (and excellent grades) in ALL your courses this grading period/semester, if you are to have this option. But the fact that you have continued your strong academic performance in the second half of your Senior year can only help your UVa application.</p>
<p>Thinking this idea through a little more, it occurs to me that even if your school doesn't have a formal Progress Report System like the one described above, they might be willing to work with you to provide UVa with the kind of information and documentation I mentioned, if you apply yourself to the task at hand and successfully raise your Calculus grade.</p>
<p>Anything you can do in this regard would certainly STRENGTHEN the note of explanation you included with with your UVa Mid-Year Grade Report. I suspect the combined effect of these positive actions, if taken, would go a long way to mitigating the most damaging consequences of your atypical "C" in Calculus.</p>
<p>Hope this advice helps you a little bit with the dilemma created by your poor Calculus grade. Good luck with your UVa application!</p>