<p>My main concern is that in sophomore year I got a C+ in APUSH first semester. The teacher had serious grade deflation and was just not a good teacher overall, but that's besides the point. After LOTS of hard work, I finally got an A the second semester, along with a 5 on the AP exam (seriously, I've never worked so hard for a class in my life, and I'm definitely not one to slack off in any class lol).</p>
<p>Will that C+ hurt me, or will my A and 5 compensate for it?</p>
<p>Colleges look at what’s on the transcript. There is a chance only end of year grades will be listed. Second, the A will help but not compensate. Most schools don’t even consider the AP scores unless you ask for college credit.</p>
<p>One C+ doesn’t kill anything. There are plenty of kids at the top schools who got one C+. Nothing you can do about it now except to learn from it and move on.</p>
<p>Agreed with M’s Mom.</p>
<p>@Erin’s Dad: If GPA is by semester, semester grades will appear on the transcript. The only reason they wouldn’t is if the second semester grade were an average of the first semester and second semester grades, which doesn’t make sense from the way the OP explained it.</p>
<p>IMO, you’re at a disadvantage in comparison to people who have straight As and are otherwise similar. But you can still be a competitive applicant at top schools. Don’t worry about it–just focus on keeping up your academic performance.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!
@Erin’s Dad: RedSeven is right; my transcript shows my grades by the semester.</p>
<p>I figured I’d be at a disadvantage against straight-A students; I just needed to make sure that I didn’t dig myself a hole.</p>