Guys, I’m freaking out. I was deferred ED from Brown, and I applied EDII to Tufts. I really spread myself too thin this year. Here are the classes that I’m taking:
-AP Literature
-AP Physics
-AP Calc BC
-AP Comp Sci (online)
-AP US Gov and Politics (online)
-AP French (conflicted w/ IB History and AP Calc–approved independent study. Pass/fail grade).
-IB History HL Year 2
-Science Research (Honors)
Like I said, I am taking two classes online. I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea. I was just interested in government and computer science and those weren’t available so I thought it would be fun. Boy was I wrong. I am NOT cut out for online classes. Gov has been fine but Comp Sci has been torture. I hate myself so much for taking the class. All I wanted was to learn but I think it might kill my chances at admission. I wish I didn’t try. Of course, after my deferral I have been super discouraged and upset and I honestly think I have no shot of getting in anywhere. I just want to get into Tufts so bad. I’ve worked so hard, now I feel like one class is going to mess it all up for me.
(By the way my intended majors were biology & biotechnology)
Here are my first quarter grades:
AP Literature :97
IB History HL: 96
Science Research Honors: 100
AP Calculus BC: 95
AP US Government: 94
AP Physics: 89
AP French Independent Study - no grade until the end of the year (pass/fail)
and…
AP Computer Science A: 84. A freaking 84. I never gotten a grade this low. Now we are at quarter two, I am WAY behind. I have to catch up on everything in a couple of weeks before grades close. I might make it out with an 85, but that’s if we’re thinking very positively. I don’t know if I can do it guys. Seriously. My grades for my other classes have remained pretty much consistent, calc is a little lower though, and I think gov is lower. Everything should be an A except for Comp Sci and Physics, which is a 90 right now.
I’ve worked so hard all four years I feel like I’m messing everything up for myself now. My GPA overall weighted is a 97, top 10% in my class. Ever since I was deferred, I have felt like giving up. I feel like a total failure, and like everything I’ve done was worth nothing. PLEASE help. Do you think this grade will kill my chances. All I want is to get in. I know first semester senior grades are very important. Will they understand? Do my other grades in difficult courses balance it out? Should I have my counselor right a note about my struggle with the online class? Ugh I just want this school year to be over it is by far the worst one yet :(.
If it’s a numerical value on your transcript, you’ll be fine. The reason being is because many schools embrace 10-point grading scales. So, in all of my AP Classes thus far, I’ve barely managed to pull a 91 or 90. So, if it’s numerical in your transcript as well, I bet they’ll see it as a B rather than a C. Of course, your weighted GPA will be affected but not by much.
I think you are fine. If you have an option to not report your grades, I would recommend not reporting them. If you have to, maybe include an explanation about your AP CompSci grade. Regardless, I don’t think it would affect the admissions decision as your overall GPA is very good
@ChanceMeChanceMe I am not familiar with 10 point grading scales. All I can really say is that your GPA relative to others in your school is as important as your normal GPA.
@doorrealthe I don’t have that option. I was going to drop first quarter, and they said that even if I dropped my 84 would still show up on my transcript. The online class is done through a state-wide online AP initiative, so it is not some random class that I found online and decided to take. Are you sure it’s fine? An 84 is not good at all. And what if my second quarter is worse? It’s 1AM and I can’t sleep I’m so scared.
My advice is to keep your other grades as high as possible to show that you are struggling only with this specific AP course. I do think that it is really not a big deal. Your overall grades speak for themselves
@ChanceMeChanceMe I don’t care about the letter grade, and neither do colleges I think. Every school has a different system. For some a 90 is an A, for me and my school it is a B. The letter is irrelevant, the number is what matters. For me, I know that the number 84 looks bad, whether you consider it to be a B or a C. For you, I don’t think you should be doing the bare minimum to get a 90. 90s in all of your AP classes are not fantastic, whether you consider it to be an A or not.
@doorrealthe I hope you’re right. Do you think I should address it/have my counselor address it or leave it as is? My counselor keeps telling me that one grade doesn’t define me but in these stressful times and especially dealing with the deferral from Brown I feel like that one 84 cancels out every single A I’ve ever gotten. I know it doesn’t, but still…
Now I just have to catch up and get my Q2 grade up. I remember simpler times back in freshman year when I would cry over a 92. Those were the days.
It seems like the bare minimum to you, but after taking 15 AP’s, you’re in it for the grind bro. And getting good grades in 15 college courses isn’t easy
I’d leave it as it is if you rightfully got that grade in CompSci