<p>This semester I might end up with not so hot grades, including a D in chemistry honors. I am a sophomore.
I have now gotten tutors for all the classes I was struggling on but there's not enough time for me to raise my grades anymore.
The tutors have been helping though I have been getting consistent As. I have wonderful extracurriculars and volunteering.
If I get great grades from now on (second semester sophomore year, junior year, senior year) can I still go to a big name college or is there no hope for me left?</p>
<p>Thou hast failed me, my child, and will now be doomed to study history forevermore at community college…</p>
<p>Haha it doesn’t sound like TOO big of a disaster. Yes, a D is bad, there’s no denying that. But if you can raise it to a C, maintain good grades in all of your other classes, and keep going with your ECs, you’re fine. If you haven’t taken your chem final yet, make sure to BEAST it! </p>
<p>In short, just focus on doing well in chem for the next few weeks and you’ll be all right.</p>
<p>Most colleges accept most of their applicants…you can get into a lot of universities just as easily as community college, though if your grades are really bad it’s often better to go to the community college and try to transfer to a good school rather than spend a lot of money to go to a mediocre university.
Do you know what your unweighted GPA is?</p>
<p>lol @ the College Confidential extremities…
You’ll get into college…</p>
<p>Oh look, someone honest enough to actually admit their less than A- grades…</p>
<p>I’m fairly sure colleges only look at final grades, so you have time to raise it (they wont see the semester grade unless its only a semester long course…)</p>
<p>You’re getting in places (I’ll update here when I actually do get in places, but counselor and naviance are looking fine for me when it comes to Northeastern, BU, Colby and Brandeis). I got a C- on Honors Math junior year. </p>
<p>Tell yourself that you won’t let that get in front of me, or anywhere else. You;re going to college in the next two years, so dont let a failed grade or **** poor teacher keep me from it.</p>
<p>PS, you take AB as a soph? Jeez, that might explain the struggle. Keep it up over the next two years, you can do this.</p>
<p>“Have I failed?” Yes in the most literal sense possible, because D is not a passing grade. I experienced the same failure in high school: I earned D in calculus (the year, not just semester), but I re-took it and earned B in differential calculus and A in integral calculus & infinite series. I was admitted to a “big name college”.</p>
<p>Are you interested in a numeric technique for determining the actual impact this semester will most likely have on your GPA? (most likely, it would be < 0.07/4.00 – meaning if you have straight As otherwise, the worst thing one D could do is probably bring your GPA from 4.00 to about 3.93.)</p>
<p>Thank you all, you made me feel better. I also heard colleges love to see upward trends so would I have that going for me as well?</p>
<p>Straight As all the time > upward trend > mediocrity all the time.</p>
<p>Relax. You might not get into any Ivy league, but either do 99% of college applicants. There are lots of fantastic colleges in between top 20 and community college.
Right now, though, focus on getting your classes. You seem to be taking the right steps, like getting a tutor. Now just keep plugging away at it. In a year, start looking at what colleges seem like the best fit based on what has happened with your grades by that point.</p>
<p>Do you think a good UC such as Davis would be in my favor if I managed to get my grades together, have a lot going for me for ECs and get good sat/act scores? Or maybe a school such as Purdue?
I am a California resident btw.</p>