I got 3Bs and 3As this semester and I’m worried that this will significantly drop my chances at a ton of the schools I’m applying to. B+ in AP Micro/Macroecon, B+ in AP Calc BC, B+ in AP Literature & Composition. Also I got deferred from Cornell Human Ecology Early. 3.75 GPA which isn’t great to start with, surprised I got deferred actually. My college counselor told me that it doesn’t look that bad since I’ve improved my grades consistently through my freshmen to senior year. I know these grades are going to probably hurt my chances but I wanted to know if anyone could tell me if this is really really looked down upon at all the different schools such as Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, Rice, Duke, etc. Is it going to SIGNIFICANTLY drop all my chances? Do these grades mean that I’m completely out of the race for all these schools.
Although I’ve already been accepted to a college, I’m in the exact same situation as you. I had a 3.75 to begin with when starting applications, and this semester I’m getting 3 B’s and 2 A’s in my 5 class courseload. My counselor said I wouldn’t get rescinded for this (I might get a letter of “disappointment”), but if I hadn’t gotten in ED, it would be cause for me to panic, despite the fact that this is my first time taking an all AP course load. Honestly, depending on who gets your application, it’s by a case by case basis, mostly dependent on: previous/current courseload, personal circumstances, how you performed in similar subjects in previous years, and the basics of your application.
It is what it is. It may hurt, it may not. You’re an A- average student by numerical standards, so to go from an A- average to a B+/A- average isn’t a huge drop. If we saw a C or straight B’s, it would be a major red flag. Have you calculated how much your GPA will drop? If it’s less than .03, I wouldn’t sweat it.
Hi there, thanks for replying! First congrats on your acceptance 
In the past years I’ve gotten mostly As and Bs. Sophomore year I got terrible grades like Cs and I improved Junior year with Bs here and there. I calculated my GPA and as of right now the most I could drop is probably .04 I guess I’ll just see from here. Thank you again!