My son failed the first semester of AP Calculus in his senior year ( he got A’s in his other 5 classes which included 2 other AP classes). Should he contact the colleges he applied to and let them know? Are his chances ruined as far as getting into the top colleges? His GPA is 3.7…Thanks in advance
Depends upon the colleges that he applied. Some do require you notify them of any D’s or F’s Senior year. What does his GC say and maybe they should handle it?
Most top colleges, unfortunately revoke admissions for students that have failed a class (or dropped it) on senior year. However, please remember that no college likes to renege on admission decisions, so they usually try to be sympathetic and understand the circumstances that made the student fail in the first place – and then put he in academic probation during the first semester.
Were any extenuating circumstances behind this fail? If so, you son’s college counselor should explain it to the colleges he applied to.
I disagree that “most top colleges” revoke admissions for students who drop a class senior year. Fail a class - yes, but dropped it? No. It depends on what the class is, the overall rigor of the transcript, the reason for dropping, what was put in it’s place, etc…
To your question, OP, are there any extenuating circumstances? A lot of schools are going to be concerned about a student who fails a core class - it means they didn’t care enough to get help, didn’t figure out that there was a problem soon enough, were caught cheating…without an explanation that’s reasonable, there are a lot of conclusions that can be jumped to, none of which will help your S if he is applying somewhere selective.
There were no extenuating circumstances, we figured out he was struggling early, we talked to the teacher and we got a tutor. Obviously none of that helped so here we are. The bad part is we found out halfway through the semester that he was given bad information by the counselor and he didn’t even need the class.
Since there are no extenuating circumstances - but also no ‘red flags’ like dishonesty or failure to identify a problem early - I’d suggest that he get out in front with a clear account to admissions of when he identified the issue, what he did about it and since he wasn’t able to turn it around, what he learned from the experience that would help him next time he finds himself in over his head. The ‘what he learned’ could simply be that he didn’t have the necessary background to succeed in this course and he underestimated his ability to catch up, even with a tutor - and that next time, he will be more careful about dropping a class early if he is insufficiently prepared for it.
An F will certainly hurt his application at selective schools - and most schools will require that he report the F. But if he’s otherwise had a solid academic record and brings other qualities that they find desirable, some may be willing to overlook it. That’s what holistic review is about. Meanwhile, you can remind him that top schools reject perfect candidates all the time and that good-but-not-top schools often accept less than perfect applicants and produce highly successful and accomplished adults. The biggest issue right now, I’m sure, is that he knows he’s disappointed you and himself - and he’s probably scared about what the consequences will be for your relationship and his future. Reassurance is the way to go.