I’m currently a junior in high school and I’ve thought about the colleges that I want to attend. I want to to attend UC Irvine when I graduate or Cal Sate Long Beach if I don’t get in.
Throughout high school so far, I’ve gotten A’s and B’s and it was last year that I’ve ever gotten a C on my transcript. My average GPA ranges at around 3.5-3.8.
As a junior, I’ve been struggling in one class, AP Physics. It’s the beginning of January and I have a D+ in that class. My test grades are horrible and I don’t understand anything in that class. I’m trying to aim for at least a C at the end of 1st semester. I’m really worried. However, if I do get a D and it appears in my 1st semester transcript, will it affect my chances of getting into the colleges that I want to go to?
no
A “D” in an a-g course will affect your chances to get into a UC or Cal State since it will be calculated into your UC?CSU GPA which uses only 10-11th grades. If you are having problems, I suggest you look at getting a tutor or consider dropping down to a Non-AP Physics class.
Here is the calculation for the UC/CSU GPA which you will use after your Junior year. For UCI, aim for a 4.0 (UC Weighted) for a decent chance along with an SAT of 1900+. CSULB is also competitive, so a UC/CSU GPA of 3.7+ would give a good chance.
tactically, a D in a core A-G course during junior year is tough to overcome. Though you may re-take the course, the new grade probably won’t don’t be factored into your UC GPA. Furthermore, i don’t think you get the bonus GPA point for a D - making the hole even deeper. It probably takes you down .2 GPA points overall - from a 3.7 to a 3.5 - With a 3.5 you will need a heck of an SAT to make it into UCI.
Good advice above about dropping down to a non AP course to salvage your GPA.
CSULB is probably still a viable alternative - without test scores, i cant say for sure.