<p>I think the letter will say something like this, I’m not a science major, I took Physics to give it a try it was not a class I had to have to get into a UC-it was extra, I’m senior class president and my EC’s got complicated at the end of the year, I’ve never flunked a test in my life and despite studying I flunked one that will make a huge impact on the rest of my education and I’d do anything to prove my worth including starting the year on academic probation.</p>
<p>3down,
I haven’t read the entire thread, but if you can show prior quarter grades and the final test score to support the claims in the letter, I think it will make a case for your child.</p>
<p>Well, we’ll make some more calls tomorrow and see if we can finally get some direction and if all else fails there’s community college. Just such a shame.</p>
<p>I would not say “I am senior class president and my ECs got complicated at the end of the year”. ECs enhance an application but only after a student’s grades and test scores demonstrate ability and motivation to do the academic work. It would sound like your son put a higher priority on his ECs than he did on doing well on the Physics final which should have taken precedence over everything else. Unless you are an athelete, colleges are admitting you primarily to study academics, not participate in ECs.</p>
<p>I think emphasizing that your son is not a science major and was only taking this course to try to become more well rounded would be helpful. That would sound like he took a risk to improve himself but unfortunately AP Physics proved not to be compatable with his strengths and abilities but he did not take a W because he wanted to finish what he had started and was determined to complete the course.</p>
<p>I like your wording-it’s also pretty accurate. He did study for the final but was completely overwhelmed by it. He has NEVER flunked a test before so he thought he was prepared but no. I appreciate your input.</p>
<p>Good luck, 3down and son! Have son memorize LM1’s working. Sounds really good…</p>
<p>[This</a> year, ‘senioritis’ may have dire consequences - USATODAY.com](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-05-06-senioritis-college_N.htm]This”>http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-05-06-senioritis-college_N.htm)
From May 2009…
“The University of California projects that about 50 admission offers may be withdrawn at each of nine campuses, says Sue Wilbur, director of undergraduate admissions.”</p>
<p>ugh…the whole MAY be withdrawn thing kills us. We are miserable…</p>
<p>3down… Note the date of the article - May 2009. I know this doesn’t help much but this was written last year. I’m trying to find something positive in all of this. Hang in there…</p>
<p>Thanks for the support! I’m very nervous about how to get through this. It’s like repeating the anxiety of admissions in the spring only with not a lot of choice left. At least when we were applying in the fall we knew he’d get in somewhere. Now we have two choices-he gets lucky and gets in or he doesn’t and he goes the CC route and our CC is rather lackluster. We really didn’t see this coming at all…</p>
<p>Three years ago a young man at my kid’s high school had his admission offer from UCSD rescinded because of a D. If it’s any help, he knew by this point in the year. They did try appealing it, and were unsuccessful. It was treated as a pretty cut and dried thing–if X, then Y. He was admitted somewhere else over the summer, and did start college the following fall. He has become the cautionary tale at the high school about keeping your grades up senior year.</p>
<p>Yea, we are not looking forward to being a lesson for others but…</p>
<p>3down, hang in there. I know it is a discouraging position for your son to be in, but try not to worry. Have a contingency plan ready and know that we’re all pulling for things to work out for the best.</p>
<p>3down, I do not think your son is the poster boy for not keeping grades up during the senior year. I think he chose to take a course that was outside his areas of strength in a commendable effort to learn something new and important such as the physical sciences. Unfortunately, he may have underestimated how difficult AP Physics would be for him as a Political Science major and did not fully appreciate the possible consequences of getting a D in a course that is challenging even for science majors. </p>
<p>I hope this possible very unfortunate outcome does not discourage your son from siezing future opportunities to expand his intellectual horizens. He will go to college somewhere and will have the opportunity to take some courses outside his major pass/fail and will allow him to be able to learn new things with less pressure to get a good grade.</p>
<p>regarding Quilll’s related experience, we do not know the import of that ‘D’ on the transcript; was it in a required course or in an elective, was it at the regular or advanced level?</p>
<p>Waiting is the hardest job; crossing fingers for your S</p>
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<p>You have a third choice. Take a gap year, boost up the physics grade at a CC or a retake through the high school, do other worthwhile stuff with his time, and reapply next year to 4-year colleges.</p>
<p>We have had some very successful gap year outcomes on CC from parents who had kids who had decent stats but still managed to get rejected everywhere. If he got in to UCSD in the first place he must have a reasonably strong overall record. Do something to at least mitigate the smudge on his record from the physics course and there are probably lots of fine universities that will take him. Some might take him even without retaking the physics course.</p>
<p>My son received his first D on a progress report in senior year. That pushed him into overdrive to bring it up to a C by the last final. It was an extremely stressful time. He did call UC and told them he may end up with a D for a final grade in Calc., but thankfully he was ok. I would not mention that EC’s were “complicated”. Part of succeeding in college is being able to juggle ECs, personal life and grades.</p>
<p>It’s great having you all as a sounding board. On the plus side AP Physics was his 3rd lab science not just his second, he got a B the first semester and his gpa is still over 3.0 for the offending semester. It’s true that he (we) may have overestimated his ability and underestimated the difficulty of the test. His principal and his leadership teacher have written very nice letters explaining that he should not be judged soley by this grade. I hope it helps.</p>
<p>3down, forgive me if this has already been mentioned, I scanned to posts but did not read very carefully. Have you looked into BYU Online? Students work at their own pace, your son might be able to complete the course before his admission is up for review. We had the same problem last year. My daughter completed a semester in four weeks. She had a private tutor who made sure she knew the material and was ready to take the final. the UCs accept BYU Online.</p>
<p>Still hoping things work out for you.</p>