So long story short, I started out sophomore year with all honors and AP classes and was feeling great. That is until I took my first math test back. I have done well in all my classes throughout my entire life. I enjoy programming and engineering so Algebra 2 honors seemed like the way to go. Turns out it wasn’t at all. I ended up with a 68 and I tried everything during the semester to get it back up. I came after school to my teacher’s class before the test to review. I studied for up to 5 hours on one chapter. I just couldn’t get it no matter what. My other grades were all A’s, one B+, and that D+. My freshman year I had mostly honors classes and ended up with all A’s and 2 B’s.
I know there’s the second semester still and I got a tutor but will colleges be put off by that one D+
There is a real disconnect here. It’s hard for me to imagine how you can excel in all honor and AP classes, yet get a D in Algebra 2. Was the teacher that bad? Did all of the students do poorly? My son, who has a lifelong struggle with math, also had a D in Algebra 2 for his first semester. We went through 3 tutors before we found the one that clicked with him. He earned a B for the second semester.
He is now a senior and has been accepted to many colleges. However, he is an average student (GPA of 2.9) who has never been in any Honors or AP classes, so he applied to colleges that required lower GPA and SAT scores. While we are very happy with his selections, it doesn’t sound like you are preparing to apply to similar caliber schools. So the circumstances are probably different. First, find a good tutor. Then talk to your Guidance Counselor. Best of luck!
Sorry for the super late response. I was expecting it to be but I guess it wasn’t. I was able to bring my grade up the 3rd marking period and I’m doing ok on the 4th.
@sbgal2011 Algebra II and Trig is a course that builds and builds and builds and builds, unlike almost any other course in high school. I always tell my student to be sure to stay healthy for that course; a case of mono or strep will bury you in Algebra I & Trig for months and months and months.
That said, the real lesson here, aside from the Unit Circle and Quadratic formula, is that you don’t wait when you start to flounder. You get help right away. You start with your classroom teacher. From there you try other teachers in the department; sometimes a simple change in phrasing will help a topic click. From there, you try NHS for an in school tutor every week, and from there you go to an outside tutor. But you don’t ignore the problem, you don’t wish it away, and you don’t pretend it’s not there.
That, in and of itself, is a huge lesson for most teens.
@bjkmom I completely understand what you’re saying. I tried extra help with my teacher for the entire first quarter but it just didn’t help. I got a tutor for the 3rd quarter and I was able to bring my grade up to a B. This quarter I’m hoping for a B because my teacher is only giving 3 tests and I did mediocrely like most of my class did. Aside from that, next year pre-calculus is the only regular class I’m taking next year just because I don’t want to go through the same stress I did this year. However, do you think that will drastically change my chances of getting into a good engineering/cs school?
Precalc tends to be a drastically different class from Algebra II & Trig. My guess is that you’ll be fine.
And cast a wide net for colleges. As too many of this year’s seniors saw, you NEED some real safeties-- schools that you have a very good chance of being admitted to, that you can afford, and that you actually can imagine yourself being happy to attend. Don’t get caught up in thinking you’re too good for a school that others haven’t designated as “good enough.”
(It’s the old line:" I wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would admit me.")
But keep your priorities right at application time, and you should be fine.