First Quarter Senior Grades; Chances Shot? Please Help

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I just got my first quarter senior year grades, and I'm horrified to say the least. I'm a straight A student, have been since 9th grade, with all of my final grades never dipping below an A- throughout my 3 years of high school. Now on my first quarter of senior year I've received a TERRIBLE C+! My question to anyone who's willing to help is, are my chances of acceptance at a top tier school shot? I'm talking about the Ivies and schools like College of William and Mary, NYU etc. I'm extremely stressed out about this at the moment as I feel like my entire academic future is at stake.</p>

<p>Edit: I'm not even planning on majoring in physics if that helps, I've taken honors physics already as well and ended with an A in my junior year!</p>

<p>Senior Year Grades: IB/AP English 4: A
AP Calc BC: A
IB European History: A
AP/IB French 5: A
(a related arts class): A
AP Physics C: C+ </p>

<p>Am I completely screwed!?</p>

<p>Well unless you get waitlisted they won’t see these grades anyway.</p>

<p>Could you please elaborate?</p>

<p>bump to ease a youngster’s worrying?</p>

<p>You are not alone. A buddy of mine just received 2 C’s with an ED application and is flipping out. He really thought he had B’s.</p>

<p>How’s he coping!? I really don’t know how to handle this!</p>

<p>When you send in your transcript, the college only sees your freshman-junior year grades and then they decide your admission based on that. They only see your senior grades during your middle year report and by then you will have already been accepted or rejected. It’s very rare that they’ll revoke their offer just because you got a C+ in a class when you’re already admitted.</p>

<p>That is interesting, anxiousforscore, because most of the schools that my D is applying have asked for ugh, I can not recall the word right now because I am too tired but basically her trimester grades… HOWEVER, I too do not believe that a single C+ (and in physics, mind you) especially when combined with As in every other class your senior year, is going to suddenly destroy your chances. Relax. Breathe. Go to the teacher and ask for extra help. but don’t worry about what is already done – just try and improve the grade for your next report.</p>

<p>The idea has become widespread here that schools will not look at senior year grades for ED students - and lo and behold, just got word from a friend that the first thing her daughter’s ED school asked for when they received her app was - we want to see what your grades are right now! And she’s a recruited athlete with strong grades and test scores through junior year.</p>

<p>So if you think 1st semester in progress grades senior year aren’t going to be looked at, there’s at least one NESCAC who is looking. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of more.</p>

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</p>

<p>For regular decision applicants, this is just not true.</p>

<p>For early decision/action applicant whose schools operate on a semester (as opposed to trimester) calendar, and sometimes for applicants who apply under rolling admissions, it’s true that the colleges have to make decisions on those early applications before mid-year reports can be submitted, but there’s nothing preventing them from asking how your grades are right now if they’re on the fence about you. </p>

<p>I do suspect, however, that it was being a recruited athlete that prompted that college to ask about MrMom’s friend’s daughter’s grades, and that they probably wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t been an athlete.</p>