Got a C, trying to figuring out how badly I screwed up

Alright, so I don’t have plans to go anywhere prestigious, or anything. I really just want to get into a school that’s a good school, can get my degree in, and potentially get myself scholarships.

So, I have been taking Honors courses throughout my time in high school, and have all As besides a B here in there. This year, I’m a junior and it’s my first time taking Ap Courses, I have a mix of Ap and Honors, and have gotten all As. Except for my Honors Algebra 2 class, I have tried my hardest but ended the semester with a C.

If I do better next semester, and next year, how badly will the C affect me?

It’s just one grade. Compute your projected GPA and then google Common Data Set and look at section C to see what each college uses for admission and the average stats. You’ll have a pretty good idea of what you can shoot for.

2 Likes

Honestly although a C isnt great I wouldnt stress over it too much. I have a friend who got into Yale but got a C in AP chem and was still accepted. Try your best to bring it up next semester and you can definitely make up for it. (Take it from a senior rn who stressed over her grades way too much lol)

This C will hardly effect you I promise. I fully failed one of my classes my second semester junior year of HS and I got into my reach school which is extremely competitive and impossible to get into. As long as you’re a well rounded student (clubs, job, good overall grade etc) that’s all that really matters.

Can’t predict. Is this class related to your possible major?

Yes, bring the grade up. And if it is related to your possible major and you can take the AP test, aim to do well.

We don’t know what colleges this may be for.

[quote=“WolfieSam, post:1, topic:2807145”]
I really just want to get into a school that’s a good school, can get my degree in, and potentially get myself scholarships.[/quote]

You are fine. According to a Pew report examining about 1,500 colleges

The extremely competitive schools amounted to 3.4% of all the colleges and universities in this analysis, and they accounted for just 4.1% of total student enrollment. By contrast, more than half of the schools in our sample (53.3%) admitted two-thirds or more of their applicants in 2017, including such well-known names as St. John’s University in New York (67.7%), Virginia Tech (70.1%), Quinnipiac University (73.9%), the University of Missouri at Columbia (78.1%) and George Mason University (81.3%).
Majority of US colleges admit most of their applicants | Pew Research Center

Since this is an advice forum, here is my advice:

  • You are worrying about the wrong thing. You have just learned that your studying techniques are not sufficient in at least one class, but instead of asking about study skills you are asking about a 2nd-order effect (the implication for admission). Math classes tend to reveal weaknesses more than others because it is a skill you can’t master in a few hours of cramming before a test. This becomes even more true as the classes get harder, such as Calculus. You should read a book about studying such as the excellent “Make it Stick” which goes over learning research and has lots of tips.

  • As a junior you have time to prepare for the admissions cycle. Trust that you will get into a good college (even if it isn’t one of the 25 or so most popular on this site, with the lowest admission percentages). So read a book or two on college admissions to learn more about how to choose a college that is a fit for you; location, LAC vs university, advising system, coop programs, type of students it tends to attract, etc.

1 Like

I think just continue to do your best for next semester and if your grade improves it shows you work hard and keep trying. Get help from your teacher for things you are struggling with if possible.

But I know a lot of kids who have Cs and got into good universities with scholarship money. One grade won’t stop you from that.

1 Like

No. A one-off won’t matter. They will just figure it was the teacher or something.

As everyone else has been saying, I think you should be fine. If anything, it shows rigor, especially being an AP course. A lot of highly selective universities deny “perfect” students who have perfect SAT/ACT scores, 4.0 unweighted, 4.9 weighted, 10,000 hours of community service hours, etc. so think of this as a way to “humble” them. If you are doing distance-learning, you have the option of explaining how COVID-19 impacted your grades, so you can always explain that there and blame it on COVID. Focus on your test scores, if possible, and you should be good.

When a student gets a C one semester, but brings it up the next semester, that makes an impression. Do what you can to bring it up - use khan academy, go to mu alpha theta tutoring in your school if it is offered, get advice from someone in the class who is doing well and ask for tips, do all of the homework problems until you totally understand the concepts, seek the teacher’s advice and ask for help. You got this!