how important are transcripts??

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey guys,
I'm a junior and am currently taking 3 AP classes and 3 Honors Classes: AP Physics, AP English Lang, AP United States History, Pre-Calc Honors, Latin 3 Honors, and Organic Chem Honors. I also do Advanced Research (250+ hours) at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, so i conduct lab work for science fairs. In addition, i am involved in several EC activities (most of which i have high leaderships roles in), as well as a bunch of volunteer work, and various awards.</p>

<p>Lately, i have been under so much stress and haven't been able to focus on all of my classes much. Basically, i could be getting A's in my classes, but instead i'm getting B's and a C in Pre-Calc. I just wanted to know if colleges look too much into a transcript, because my GPA is 4.0/4.2 (it'll go higher) and i'm in the top 10th percentile of my class which as 541 people. If i get a good SAT and ACT score, do you think colleges will care too much about my transcript? Because i feel as though my extracurriculars/awards/essay/recommendations/scores will outweigh my transcript...but i'm still worried. And i want to get into like UPenn or another Ivy League.</p>

2

<p>Just wondering, how do you have a 4.0/4.2 if you have Bs and a C in pre-calc?</p>

3

<p>because i’ve been getting A’s throughout high school up until this year? and if you weigh my grades they come up to A’s, except pre-calc.</p>

4

<p>Transcript is the most important thing, not GPA.
Just try your hardest.
Upenn is difficult even for kids who get all A’s, take more AP and honors classes than you, and are involved in very intense extracurriculars. My friend considers it a reach, and he has never gotten anything less than an A, takes the hardest course load at our school, tutors every day, and qualified for the International Science Fair (got 1st at state).</p>

<p>So yeaaa =]</p>

5

<p>I know but i go to a competitive school, and about 20 kids get accepted to UPenn every year. Will a C on my transcript lower my chances of getting in even if i get 2300+ on the SAT’s, and have a bunch of EC activities?</p>

6

<p>You probably have too much on your plate. If your final grade is a C, then it will look bad, but if it’s only one quarter or semester, it should be less detrimental. </p>

<p>I’ve gotten a C in pre-calc honors this year too (first quarter), but I moved to regular pre-calc, and now I’m happier than ever! Just hope that you do better in your senior year. You should be okay!</p>