Getting into CS/Data Science Major with a B in major related class

Applying to College
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Hi everyone. I have received a B in one of my CS classes. It was a intro lab class at my local CC (the lab and lecture classes are separated there). On top of that, my ninth grade year was messed up due to mental health issues. Overall, my GPA would likely end up around 3.85~3.9 by the time of applications (I am a junior rn) but I was wondering if anybody knew of people who got into a Data Science/CS/Applied Math major (but leaning more towards Data Science) with a B in a major-related course. Any help is appreciated. Thank you very much.

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My S22 got a C- one semester in AP Computer Science his junior year and is having a relatively successful application season so far applying to CS programs. One thing to keep in mind is that some schools direct-admit to CS majors, while others (often large public schools) just admit you to the school generally and then require you to complete prerequisites (Calc I and II, a couple of CS classes, and often a science class) with a certain GPA in order to apply to the major. Low grades in CS-related classes are obviously sub-optimal when applying to competitive direct-admit programs, but they do not constitute a CS death knell.

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Colleges do not expect HS students to specialize in a specific major and getting one B in a major related class will not be an issue. The colleges will look at your overall record and also at the grades received in your Math classes, how much you have challenged yourself, EC’s, essays etc….
GPA/Grades are only one aspect of your college application and not viewed in a vacuum.

CS/Data Science are competitive majors, so the best thing you can do is work on a college list from the bottom up. Start with a couple of Safety schools which are affordable, guaranteed admission into your preferred major and you are willing to attend no matter what. This way you know you will be studying your choice major and the rest is just icing on the cake.

Best of luck.

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This is the best advice you can get. If you want to swing for the fences aiming at a few blue bloods, feel free, but only after you’ve found certain admits that you’d be happy at. There will lots to choose from. Good luck!

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Thank you all so much. I greatly appreciate your advice.

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