Ok, so I just created this account because mid-year reports came out today and I’m freaking out and could use some opinions.
I’m in IB and up until now I’ve had straight As, but I bit off a little more than I could chew this year and took an extra class online (which looking back was a stupid decision, but I underestimated how awful senior year of IB was). Anyways, I ended up withdrawing from the class (with an A, but I’m not sure that matters) and it’s on my transcript now as ‘Withdrawn Passing,’ and I’m just really worried that it’s going to look really bad on college applications now. I know this was a stupid decision, and I realize I have to live with my mistakes now, but I want to know how badly I’ve screwed myself over.
Part of me feels like it’s only one small component, and the rest of my application is enough to make up for it. My grades are good, I’m in the top 1% of my class, my test scores are high (35 on ACT, 790 and 800 on SAT Subject Tests), I have a steady job and participated in summer internships, my extracurriculars are pretty good, and I feel like my essays were well-written.
But, the thing is the colleges I want to get into are fairly selective (specifically Vanderbilt, Duke, and Johns Hopkins are my top choices), and obviously plenty of their candidates will have the same qualifications as I do, and won’t have a ‘Withdrawn Passing’ on their transcript. I’m worried that this mistake will cost me my admission. I know colleges care a lot about mid-year grades, and I’m worried that they’ll think this shows that I can’t handle the workload, but I feel like I’ve been balancing this year pretty well with 7 IB classes, but the extra AP one just pushed me over the edge.
Basically I just want to know if you think that this is going to significantly affect my chances of getting into these colleges despite my other qualifications. Do you think I still have a shot, or have I totally screwed things up now?
Also, one more thing: should I contact the colleges and explain the ‘Withdrawn Passing’ on my mid-year report or is that going overboard?
Thanks in advance for the advice!!
