<p>Hey, everyone. This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm very concerned about it.
Okay, so I'm in grade ten but I'm taking grade 11 advanced math (I guess that's functions, or pre-calc?)... I totally messed up on my first quiz of the year (it was last week) and got an 87%. D:
Today I had a test and I think I completely bombed it. I didn't answer a bunch of questions. I'm probably going to legit fail. :'(
The thing is that my teacher is notorious for his ridiculously hard tests, and it's true. The test was DEATH.
There were things on there that we'd never even learned.
If I flunk this class (let's say I get below 90%), I will automatically have destroyed any chance I had (if I even had any) of going to Harvard, right?
It's grade eleven math, so would it count against me? :/ I'm so worried.
What if I don't mess up this badly on any more tests this year? What if I am able to keep my tests above 85% for the rest of the year? Normally that would be pretty bad but I know this year is going to be tough. D:
(Stupid teacher!) So, if I do that, then my average won't plummet drastically, will it?
And also, I want to ask my teacher for a make-up assignment because I know I can do better (we only had 38 minutes for the whole test and I feel like I could've answered some of the questions, even the ones we never learned anything about, if I just had another chance).
Should I ask? Would your teachers ever give you something like that?
It's not just for marks; I also want to keep practicing this and learn from it so I never make the same mistakes ever again.
I'm sorry this was kind of a rant, but I'm really worried and I just hope someone can answer my questions. D: Thanks.</p>
<p>Now that you’ve bombed this test, and others, you may have to really lower your standards and accept admission to Tufts or, heaven forbid, Boston College. They accept people who falter…</p>
<p>At the end of the day, do the best you can and let the chip fall as they may. Life isn’t always fair, and because school is part of life, school isn’t always fair. I’m glad you posted this because, sadly, it illuminates the pressure many kids place on themselves. </p>
<p>This will not be the last time something does not go right in school, followed by something not going right at work, followed by something not going right at home. That’s what life is ALL about! You are going to be just fine!! </p>
<p>Enjoy the ride…</p>
<p>If I read your post carefully, it looks like you are worried about whether a single B as a semester grade in a 10th grade math class would prevent you from being admissible to top schools. The answer to that question is clearly no. </p>
<p>Relax about this one, work hard in this class, get the best grades you can and worry about where you are going to school later. </p>
<p>You have a long way to go and a lot of hard tests to get through before you will face the reality of the next step in your education. It sounds like you are taking a rigorous course load and generally doing quite well. Keep up the good work and don’t get discouraged by one tough teacher. And, to help ease the stress, find things to do outside the classroom that are meaningful to you.</p>
<p>Relax. One or two less-than-your-best test grades out of an entire semester is not such a big deal. Colleges want to see that you are taking difficult classes (which you are, it seems) and that you are trying hard. </p>
<p>Keep working hard and try to get some make up work if it matters that much to you. Remember that an 87% is not a bad grade.</p>
<p>Also remember that even Harvard doesn’t expect perfection.</p>
<p>Don’t even stress. It’s only the middle of the first school year. And yes, of course you should ask your teacher for a chance to make up those tests. If you’re still not succeeding, drop the class and take it at your local community college next semester. The instructors show ample compassion for high school students who “take initiative”. You won’t feel so bad.</p>
<p>So… I guess I’m not completely done? D:
I heard that colleges care about all of your high school marks in USA. Here in Canada they look at grade twelve marks first and sometimes grade eleven… which would be this course… D:
What can I do, if I do get a bad grade in this class? Let’s say I get below 90. How bad would that be?</p>
<p>As long as you get above an 80%, which by the way is passing, I’m sure you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I had a solid 80.0 grade one semester in physics junior year (WITH extra credit). I managed to bring my average for the year up to a B+. I doubt it exactly helped me, but it didn’t keep me out, either.</p>
<p>You won’t make it to Harvard because your stress level will have made you a basket-case by the time for applications. You need to seriously chill.</p>
<p>No, you are doomed. Save your $70 and don’t apply to Harvard. You just blew any shot you had, which was almost non-existent to begin with. Have a good rest of your non-Harvard life.</p>
<p>If this is how concerned you are with such a minor scratch on your transcript (unless A+s are the norm in your school thanks to uber grade inflation), do yourself a favor and don’t apply to Harvard. As others have noted, you will have killed yourself out of stress by the time that rolls around. You have one life to live; don’t waste it on singular goals. As noble as the pursuit of Harvard or other top schools is, in the end there are no guarantees, just what you bring with you.</p>
<p>a couple of points…
1). A few B’s in your high school career you should be fine especially taking a tough courseload.
2). Like everyone else said chill out…you’ll have killed yourself from stress by the time you apply if this is how you get from 1 quiz.
3). At the end of the day, in the real world, the school that you go to doesn’t matter that much…every school in the top 15-20 are pretty similar…the only thing a top ranked school does is it opens a few more doors for your first job. Other than that 2,3,5,10,20 years down the line no one cares where you went to school…so if you dont get into Harvard you’ll likely get in somewhere else that is good and it won’t matter.</p>
<p>Okay for starters:
A 4.0 GPA is NOT what is going to be your ticket to harvard. Admissions at privates are much more holistic and consider who you are and what you have done, rather than just grades.</p>
<p>To prove my point:
Last year at my school, we had 40 valedictorians (people are crazy smart here, and classes are really tough too!). Two people got in, neither of whom were valedics. Of the two i only know one, who i know had at least 3 or 4 B’s, but was also Class president, ASB secretary one year, Varsity Cross country (not exceptional, ranked 4th or 5th), Varsity track, Debate captain, Link crew captain, and on a dance team. No, all of it doesnt seem like much, but for a fact i know she got home at around 8 or 9 pm every night ( after XC practice she had to go to dance) And her personality just fit the ivy so well, to be honest.
If you have that attitude, i would say you have no chance.</p>
<p>Yeah you probably won’t even be able to get into college anymore. </p>
<p>Just chill out, you can still raise your grade.</p>
<p>@jshain-hahahaha</p>
<p>People who get into Harvard are more confident than the combined confidence of roy halladay and his pitching+justin bieber around girls+freshmen who walk in the middle of the halls. Seriously, if you find yourself worrying about stuff like this again, how will you be able to live through the last couple years of high school, let alone getting into your dream schools?</p>
<p>On a brighter side, top 10 percent rank is acceptable enough and GPA is getting less and less important. I say test scores, college essays, and your ECs make or break the deal. (Find out about your school’s grade reporting policies. My school only reports the weighted gpa and maybe final average grades? No rank, no unweighted. I’m pretty lucky.)</p>
<p>One more thing, don’t spend too much time on here…it’ll only make you more anxious.</p>
<p>There’s more to life than Harvard. (Harvard just guarantees that your life will be thousands of times better after you graduate. haha)</p>
<p>Back to the darker side:
-Be realistic, Harvard admission is close to perfect as a high student can get.
-This stat was published in the Harvard newspaper: 10% got 800 on SAT math, 10% got 800 on SAT reading, 10% were valedictorians. ONLY 7% GOT ADMITTED. Moreover, this disregards the legacies, the athletes, the kids with the last names Kennedy, Rockefeller, Cabot, or Carnegie, and the kids who own international charities and the such.</p>
<p>The Harvard admission officers’ jobs is like having a lawn of perfectly trimmed, green, grass in front of them. They close their eyes and randomly pull out a fistful of grass blades. Those kids get to go to Harvard. The rest…</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, who gave a sincere answer. I was just so disappointed with myself because this was the first time I’ve done so badly in math. But I guess now I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s only one test and I clarified with the teacher so… yeah. I know there’s pretty much no chance of getting into Harvard anyway, but I just was so disappointed with my performance on the test. D:</p>
<p>No, don’t think that you’re not going to get in; that gets you nowhere. You have to understand that Harvard is just simply…Harvard. Do apply, but don’t get your hopes up. Don’t make it your dream school, give it the same importance as a safety school.</p>
<p>^Yeah, that’s definitely what I’m going to do. :] It’s the only way that makes sense. Thanks.</p>
<p>Stay off cc for another year.</p>
<p>Chill.
No, like, REALLY. Chill.</p>