Hi, I’m going to be a senior this fall, and I wanted to see what my chances are if I got a C in my third trimester of the junior year. I got the C in Honors Physics which is one of the hardest classes at my high school. The thing is I was a year ahead of people in science so making the transition was rough not knowing anyone and the subject I’ll admit was not my strong suit. I ended up with an A- first tri, a B second tri and a C third tri. I’m usually an A student with a few B+'s so this was hard to take. My dream is to go to UCLA, and I want to know how this college and other colleges will see this. UCLA seems like such a strong school that I feel like they won’t accept a student who had a downward trend during their junior year in a science class. 
How do you guys think colleges will view my C? (I have a 3.7 UW GPA and have been taking the hardest classes available and a 32 ACT.)
I think that’s a reach
Hey,
Your grades are a little negative but you can still definitely get in. I was accepted into UC Berkeley and UCLA myself so I have a lot of experience when it comes to college admissions and the sorts of students who get in. I’ve had multiple friends get into Berkeley with some B’s; I even have one friend who got in with a C. That being said, these students had either excellent standardized test scores or extracurriculars to make up for that. The students who had B’s did qualify to National’s and had state titles in certain activities. Their essays were also very, very strong. The student who got a C had good state-level extracurriculars but had nearly perfect scores on his SAT’s and subject tests (he’s a really strong standardized test taker). None of these students have “hooks” by the way.
I’m very tired of seeing the negativity and misinformation on College Confidential. I know a lot of high school students use this website, so I hope to at least play a role in not having such students misinformed. Honestly, a lot of students who answer these questions haven’t been through the college admissions process themselves, so you should always take answers with a grain of salt and be careful not to let people discourage you.
I know people who had a handful of B’s get into schools, like Northwestern, UChicago and Georgetown as well. Of course, schools, like Harvard and Stanford, require impeccable – or almost perfect – grades, but students shouldn’t necessarily make broad generalizations about other first-tier colleges. That being said, your ACT score is quite high – I’d consider retaking it in the fall to get an even higher score. Standardized test scores seem to be something you’re good at, so I think it’s worth considering submitting optional subject tests. Pulling almost-perfect scores, especially in the physics subject test, can help make up for a decline in grades. Additionally, if extenuating circumstances caused bad grades, the UC application has a space for you to discuss that.
Further, we haven’t even considered extracurriculars and your essays. If you have some very impressive achievements – perhaps national titles – that will obviously help tremendously. If you have a powerful story to tell, spend lots of time on your essays. Students who’ve had to overcome certain challenges or have witnessed/ done things that no one else can really relate to is something admirable aside from all the numbers.
In summary, don’t let a couple bad grades discourage you from applying to UCLA. Apply to a variety of schools to keep your options open, but don’t feel too upset if things don’t go as planned – it’s rough out there. I know students who have been admitted into UC’s, even Berkeley, in a similar grades state as you. However, they were amazing in other areas to make up for that, which you might be as well.
Hope this helped!