Last year I got a C in AP Chemistry first semester. I was dealing with a lot of things in my home life (specifically, the hospitalization of a family member extremely close to me), and although i was able to keep As in my other classes, my grade slipped to a C in AP Chem. Second semester, I received an A in the class, and ultimately scored a 4 on the AP test.
Ive taken 5 other APs since then (i’m a junior) and have received all As. Despite the C, I still rank in the top 20 of my 600+ student class. That one C is the only grade that is not an A on my transcript.
How much will this one C hurt me in terms of college admissions? I’m really nervous that because of it I won’t be able to get into any of my dream schools or even what I once considered as a target school (UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, etc) and am wondering if it’s even worth it to apply to these schools anymore next fall.
It’s hard to say. Probably not, unless you are going into Engineering at UCB or UCLA. Might hurt a little, but if your test scores are high it probably would make up for it. FWIW my kid got a C in his first semester as a sophomore in pre-Calc under very difficult personal circumstances, along with a couple of Bs. He got into UCB and UCD.
Do semester grades appear on your transcript? Most schools only report final grades on the transcript, not Quarter or Semester grades. Even if the semester grade shows on the transcript, colleges will pay more attention to that final grade. A grade of C in the first semester, and A the second shows improvement - a C during the second semester would be more concerning, if it even shows on the transcript
Don’t worry about this. You got a C one semester as a sophomore in a college level (i.e. 3 years ahead of normal HS students) class. You got an A second semester, and a 4 on the exam, which would place you out of first year chemistry at most college and universities. You will be fine. This one C is not going to keep you out of any place you are otherwise qualified for.