Hi! I’m currently a sophomore in high school, about to be a junior. My overall weighted GPA is a 4.37, and unweighted is a 3.89. This is from last semester. My grades this year are 95-Chinese, 97- English 2 Honors, 95- AP Calculus AB, 90- Chemistry Honors, 93- Religion 2, 100- Health and Wellness, and I’m not sure about AP Biology. I had a 90 in AP bio, but we had a test on the last day of class after the AP exam, which resulted in my grade crashing to a B-/C+. How will this affect my college application? I’ve never had anything lower than an 90. I really want to get into NYU, but I don’t care too much for IVY Leagues. I’m really scared about how this will affect my future applications. Please help!
First, calm down, because your unweighted GPA is fine and you have good rigor, which makes me question how serious this is.
The real question is how bad did you have to do to get your A- down to a B-/C+. Did you get a D or F on the test? Was it a final? Having a B-/C+ is pretty worrying, especially since you’re a sophomore. What PREREQUISITE or FIRST YEAR science courses have you taken? I see a lot of kids here who are sophomores who fail the AP Science courses and most of the time it’s because they haven’t taken the introductory classes for a reason.
It was a unit test that I got a 50.5/100 on. We didn’t have many tests or quizzes this semester which is why my grade dropped so low. Our tests are worth 50% of our grade. I took regular biology in my freshman year. I ended that class with a 95. That was all the pre-reqs i took.
One B-/C is not going to scupper your chances at NYU, but don’t make a habit of it. Your overall GPA is totally fine for NYU, obviously extra curriculars etc matter too. However: don’t get married to the idea of one school (especially if you are aiming at Stern within NYU which is just about as competitive as an Ivy).
Mantra for the HS student:
Do not think 'Every point I get off of a homework or test is a point away from going to Harvard."
Think: “I need to do my best, and there will be a college that is right for me when I graduate.”
Do not think “If I don’t go to an Ivy League School/Top20, I am doomed forever.”
Think: “No matter where I go, I can bloom where I am planted. I can get involved and shine.”
Do not think: “My life is over…the kid in my math class is taking 20 APs and I am taking 5. I will never succeed.”
Think: “I need to challenge myself, but only to the point where I can still do well.”
Also re: NYU:https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/08/the-expensive-romance-of-nyu/278904/