<p>Hello all. I am a senior from Cupertino High School (not to brag but a good reputable HS)
Right now I am really concerned about my grades. I have 3.8 unweighted GPA and 4.3 weighted. This year I am taking all AP classes.
HERE'S MY CONCERN: I know that colleges take senior grades very seriously, and with my current course load there is no way I can get a 3.8 unweighted with all AP courses. I am expecting a 3.5 unweighted and 4.5ish weighted this year. (You get the idea, half As half Bs). I'm wondering if colleges would rescind any acceptances because of this decrease in gpa, or will they take into the account of the rigorous course load? </p>
<p>search keyword “rescind” on this site.</p>
<p>College to you: 4 years of fun and adventure</p>
<p>You to college: 4 years of tuition. They have strong motivation for you to succeed.</p>
<p>Ds, Fs, felonies and fraud. Avoid them, you’re fine.</p>
<p>I ask this question mainly because I just failed my first calc BC test and am preparing for a C in the class. Do most colleges see senior year grades before even making a decision? What about ED?</p>
<p>If you’re applying regular decision, the college will see your mid-year, first semester (or first trimester) grades before making their admissions decisions. If I were you I would do my utmost to keep grades up at least until then. (After that, as T26E4 said, they probably would not rescind an admission unless you had Ds or below.) Can you go to your calc teacher for extra help, does your school have math tutors? I would go speak to your guidance counselor or math teacher ASAP about it. Also, my D found khanacademy (<a href=“https://www.khanacademy.org/”>https://www.khanacademy.org/</a>) helpful for learning math concepts she was struggling with. Free online tutoring site…</p>
<p>For ED, most colleges will ask to see your first quarter or first trimester grades.</p>
<p>When my kids applied EA, I don’t think first semester or quarter grades were considered. Of course they were eventually viewed, but not available for the initial decision. Get any EA or rolling admission applications in on time. It could hurt you in the regular decision applications, they WILL see your mid-term grades before making a decision.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on the school then. My apologies. They were required for my D’s EA. OP- you can probably check on the specific college’s website.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t release quarter or trimester grades, only semester, which I can only send them mid January. I’ll try my best in calculus and try to get a B, I guess that is the best I can achieve.</p>
<p>Trust me, if applying ED/EA and a college asks for mid-terms, your school will release them.</p>
<p>
Time to revisit how you are studying for this class, and how much you are studying for this class. [ul] [<em>]Good college students find they spend 6-10 hours per week on each class, especially probable if it is a math/science class. BC Calculus is more similar to a real college class than most other AP classes. [</em>]Spaced study is better for learning than trying to “cram”. You are much better off studying 90 minutes on each of 5 days then spending the same time on Sunday trying to catch up. [<em>]For many subjects there are workbooks such as the “Calculus Problem Solver”. These are incredible tools and I don’t know why schools don’t pass them out along with the textbook. The chapters have worked problems, hundreds of them. There is no rule that says you can only do the assigned problems from your text. Using these books should be a big part of those hours previously mentioned. [</em>]There are free software tools such as Anki that implement spaced-repetition programs, proven to be the most efficient way to memorize things for classes where memorization is important.[/ul]There are tons of websites you can visit for advice. Two links to get you started are [On</a> Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/3zh9frh]On”>On Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student - Cal Newport) and [How</a> to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/aok5qn]How”>How to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses - Cal Newport) Read thru the story at [Teaching</a> linear algebra](<a href=“http://bentilly.blogspot.com/2009/09/teaching-linear-algebra.html]Teaching”>Random Observations: Teaching linear algebra) and see how that prof forced students to rehearse material with great results; the advice earlier focuses on doing that yourself. </p>
<p>The downfall of many students is confusing recognition with recall (won’t be a problem if you follow the advice above). When you do the homework you have the book right there and can thumb back to see how similar problems were solved. After a while the approaches become familiar, and then when you review the book before the test they may seem even more so, but as you’ve discovered once you face a test and can’t refer back you can’t recall what you need. Two academic links discussing this are</p>
<p>[Why</a> Students Think They Understand—When They Don’t](<a href=“http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/winter0304/willingham.cfm]Why”>Ask the Cognitive Scientist: Why Students Think They Understand—When They Don't) </p>
<p>[Practice</a> Makes Perfect—but Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of Perfection](<a href=“http://www.aft.org/newspubs/periodicals/ae/spring2004/willingham.cfm]Practice”>Ask the Cognitive Scientist: Practice Makes Perfect—But Only If You Practice beyond the Point of Perfection)</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I’m trying to apply EA as much as possible to avoid some of the problems. Now that I think of it (with a B+ on my 2nd test 
) I may be able to get a B in BC after all. Now the question becomes: “Would colleges understand a slight drop in unweighted GPA due to course rigor, or would they think I have senioritis and am plain lazy?” My weighted GPA should stay the same, if not higher than junior. </p>
<p>The only situation where I’ve heard about rescission for a C is in some specialized STEM programs where students are all expected to enter with successful completion (ie. >C) of Calculus under their belts. </p>
<p>Are you planning on being a STEM major? If yes, then focus on learning that Calculus, not for your GPA but for your future. If you aren’t planning on being a STEM major, hang in there. One B/C senior year won’t kill your chances. </p>
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<p>Of course they will release the SEMESTER grades when asked, you have to count on every school seeing your grades in the January/early Feb timeframe for first semester of senior year. Our school does not release quarter grades, though. The OP can ask her guidance counselor when first quarter/semester grades would be available to colleges to be sure. Since ED & EA decisions are typically available around December, if only semester grades are released then the acceptance decision is made before the grades are available.</p>
<p>So you’re telling me that if a highly selective college asked your school for mid-term grades with a personal phone call to the GC with the attached condition “We’re considering letting Jane in ED, but we’d really like to know how she’s doing mid-term first semester senior year, like we do all our ED candidates, and if you don’t provide that, we’ll have to defer her until we see 1st semester grades” your school would tell them to take a hike?</p>
<p>From what I know the school’s quarter grades are not final and thus when it’s “released” it has a watermark saying it’s unofficial. </p>
<p>I can guarantee you that even if your high school normally only gives grades at the semester mark, for the colleges that you are applying to that request “interim grades” - your high school is sending them an unofficial report. This is standard.</p>
<p>Since Cupertino is in California, would it be correct to assume that you are applying to UCs?</p>
<p>UC admission offers typically include conditions like getting a 3.0 in your reported senior year course work, with no D or F grades. Otherwise, your admission offer may be rescinded. Look up previous threads on the subject, although each campus may vary slightly or decide to set the threshold higher than it was in the past.</p>
<p>Other colleges may have different thresholds for rescission of admission offers. Of course, those colleges which use mid-year reports will see your fall senior year grades.</p>
<p>Yes, I am in fact applying to all the UCs. I’m also nervous because in my school the tradition for AP courses is to make the courses super hard so everyone has low grades, then give generous bumps at the end of semester. Now if a college asks for an unofficial quarter report, my grades will not reflect what they truly would be and deserve to be. I’m going to do some research and see if any of the colleges I’m applying to uses mid-year reports.</p>
<p>NortehrnKev – you might want to check in with your guidance counselor. This pattern of bumping up grades in AP classes towards the end of the semester or year, basically to “curve” the grade, is not uncommon. However, your school also knows that the college acceptances of their seniors is dependent upon these interim grades. I would bet that your school has the teachers manipulate the grades to reflect that curve even in the interim. </p>
<p>I asked my teachers and they said all the curves would come at the end of the semester so nothing for now 
In the meantime, my unweighted dropped by 0.2 but my weighted increased by 0.2, so can I take comfort in thinking that this would cancel out?</p>