<p>Will getting a C+ in calculus ruin my chances for Penn and other competitive colleges?
I know this is probably an annoying question, but I can't help feeling extremely hopeless. I'm not a grade obsessed person, but having a C is something that I feel could ruin my life (I know that sounds dramatic and annoying)
(In my school, honors Calculus is known for being tough. Most people barely scrape by with a B,we get about one to two tests per quarter, 60%of our grade, and a quiz, I was ironically sick during a test for each quarter and did badly, and ended up getting a C+ in the semester. my school is generally known for being competitive and difficult, Penn admissions counselors know of our school by name which hopefully might help??)</p>
<p>My school doesn't rank but I'm near the top and have a very strong course load according to my guidance counselor. I'm typically stronger in my history/social studies/English classes, and weaker in math, with Bs. My SAT is 2300.</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in Government/Music/International affairs/English, so it has nothing to do with my major really.
I also have a huge passion for said majors, and will successfully convey this in my application.
I have also talked to the music department, and I play viola (conservatory level) which is a plus, and am very involved in swords, which is relatively obscure, and have leadership position in clubs having to do with IR.</p>
<p>I'm Asian though, to make matters worse. I guess I just want to know if it's possible for a student who has a huge passion, and lots of ambition for the future, but messed up in a class to still get into a competitive school, and if it's been done before.</p>
<p>Of course you can get into a “competitive school,” with a 2300 SAT score and a GPA in which a C+ (weighted as a B+, probably, for Honors Calculus) is the lowest grade you’ve ever received. Nobody can promise you Penn, though, especially if many of your classmates are also applying with similar qualifications. The current college admissions scenario is brutally competitive at the top, and thousands of talented, dedicated students will be disappointed. You still have a chance of getting into Penn, and almost anywhere else. Just have a “Plan B” (and “C+”) just in case you don’t. Also, bear in mind that the C+ in Calculus might not be a deciding factor. A classmate with a terrific jump-shot or forward-pass, and another one whose grandfather donated millions to Penn might have sealed the deal instead. </p>
<p>Nope. I’m sorry to tell you, you’re going to have to go to community college.
All kidding aside, you’re fine! A C is not a deciding factor. You will not be rejected for 1 grade. Many people that get into the Ivy League have a C or two (maybe even a D) on their transcript. College Confidential’s community would have you believe otherwise (but all these kids are like super, amazing, intimidating students that aren’t representative of the whole HYP student body).</p>
<p>The general rule is that you want to aim for a 3.8+ GPA (unweighted) and a 2200+ SAT (or a 33+ ACT) to be competitive for HYPS(and other top schools). At this point, most admission officers will move on from your grades so your ECs, essays, and LORs become the deciding factors.</p>
<p>“Many people that get into the Ivy League have a C or two (maybe even a D) on their transcript”</p>
<p>Do you have any evidence for this? Obviously there are the exceptions -athletes, big money/legacies- but you can’t generalize so heavily about Ivy League admits. The Ivy Leaguers I know personally didn’t have any Cs, and very few -or no- Bs. Certainly none had Ds.
Moving on to the original question: no a C+ won’t hurt too much, especially if -as you said- your school is known to be competitive. However your GPA is important and repeated Cs don’t look very good on a transcript; so try to make this the only one. </p>