<p>So basically I've done well in my freshman and sophomore classes (Honors and APs, including AP Euro and AP US and etc etc...), but the thing is, I am not doing too well in my AP Physics' class this year (junior year) due to my mom's health problem, and thus I currently have a B in that class (as most of the people have Cs and D&Fs due to the hardness of our teacher) and possibly getting a C for the semester....Will this really make the admission officers go "uh, this kid, no chance" and throw my application aside??
Also, if that's the case, is there anything I can do to get at least some chances of being considered during the admission process? I understand that there are a lot of outstanding people out there applying, but my life has been unique as a whole, so I actually thought I have a chance until this class grade emerged...
So, can anyone please help me? Thanks in advance!!
P.S. I am an Asian without the typical Asian brain, so basically I worked my butts off for the things I've accomplished....I am not sure if this information is relevant, I am just throwing it out there in case it makes any difference... (though it will probably hurt me...)</p>
<p>My advice is to never say</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>again.</p>
<p>Haha, I wouldn’t actually mention that in the application :)</p>
<p>You need to do everything in your power to make at least an B for the course. Of course, you can make up for the bad grade with a stellar AP physics test score. However, that may not be realistic if you are struggling with the course material. The bottomline is that there are few things more damaging than a drop in the grade in the Junior year.</p>
<p>The sad truth is that there are a lot more kids who do really well in 9th-10th grades than in 11th-12th grades. The courses get harder, the distractions and pressures greater. People who do well in both have a big advantage.</p>
<p>But it doesn’t sound like the OP is necessarily doing badly. He’s having trouble with one class. He needs to fix that ASAP.</p>
<p>I heard about a kid one time who had his grades go down the toilet one year due to his father leaving his mother and himself. He called up Harvard and explained to them why his performance suffered, and he still got in. So, don’t give up just because you have a health problem in the family, but don’t feel that you have lost your chance either.</p>
<p>One grade for one semester is a very small part of what you’ll be evaluated on, and a C would not be disqualifying. You will have a year’s worth of grades after this semester to show. Just realize it would be foolish for most straight-A students to count on getting into Harvard.</p>
<p>I concur with what the others have said. However, I’d like to add that since this is an AP Physics course you should focus on not only improving your grade in the course but also study effectively for the AP exam. The message the adcomm gets from a student with a C or a B on the transcript and a “5” on the AP exam is different from a great grade and low AP score. In the former case, given your other good grades, a high AP score may suggest that you took an extremely demanding course with tough grading which prepared you well for your AP exam</p>
<p>I have to agree with notakid, and question how the OP’s grades are going down the toilet or significantly dropping in any way. This is one class, for one semester of an entire high school career. Even if you planned on studying physics in college, which I sincerely doubt since it is the class you struggle the most with, a B is not going to hurt you. Plenty of Harvard admits had a couple of B’s in tough courses. Heck, I doubt one C amidst a multitude of A’s would really hurt you in the long run, but a B would look better. Just relax. That is not going to be what keeps you out of Harvard, and not having a single B or C on your record would not be what would get you in either.</p>
<p>one B is not that bad</p>
<p>People always talk about an upwards trend, but I’ve worked hard throughout high school and my junior/senior year grades are slightly lower (A/A+ vs. A/A-) than as a freshman/sophomore, just because I was in very, very hard classes.</p>
<p>@OP - They probably won’t throw your application in the gar bage. For just this one thing, they won’t. However, failing Physics is more of an issue. This is just the 1st quarter. A B in AP Physics by the end of junior year is pretty good, especially with family issues. Are you going to present/explain the family issues? You could ask your guidance counselor to.</p>
<p>I agree with the a few of the previous posts. A 4 or 5 on the AP exam will show that you knew the material, had a challenging teacher/course, and still persevered through the midst of your family troubles.</p>
<p>sigh. i took AP Physics C without any calculus background. Quite difficult, so I ended up with two Bs in that class, and a bunch of 4s to back it up. There was also some family issues, and this caused my grade to dip in a couple of other classes as well. but (hopefully, i’m crossing my fingers) this wont hinder my application too much. best of luck in physics!</p>