<p>I got a D my freshman year in biology. Will this completely take me out of the running for college admissions?</p>
<p>Simple answer is No. A single grade in a 9th grade course most likely isn’t going to ruin you for life. </p>
<p>Advantages:
IF you have A’s and B’s in your succeeding classes and most particularly if you showed science ability in later more advanced classes. </p>
<p>Good (don’t even have to be great) scores on ACT/SAT especially if you do well on the science parts.</p>
<p>You overall Class Rank and GPA are respectable.</p>
<p>Was there a reason you had problems – NOT involving excuses like “Teacher hated me (or vice versa)” “I got caught cheating and got a zero on the final.” Illness, Death in the family, changed to a much more challenging school than you were used to? </p>
<p>Honestly, sometimes an answer like “I just didn’t realize how much work I needed to put in and I’ve changed my habits” can go a long way is helping show an admissions official some maturity. Explanations (with a plan/execution to change) and Excuses are looked upon quite differently.</p>