<p>i've done pretty solidly for the past 3 years but i think my 1st semester senior grades are slipping from my usual standard. its not that i'm not trying, i am, and i'm not pulling anything close to c's, but its hard to be excited about ap physics c: e+m and ap chem when i have no desire to do anything relating to science for my major. i'm doing very well in my ap english class, as i always have done in english. </p>
<p>so does uchicago heavily weigh midyear reports? i don't want them to think i'm slacking because i most definitely have not. i'm not even taking these classes for the challenge of it, i'm taking it to fulfill an obligation to my magnet program. would a letter explaining this help?</p>
<p>current stats:
WGPA:4.3
UWGPA:3.9
rank: somewhere in top 10 of like 600
ACT: 32
SAT2: 800, 760, 750
i liked my essay and my letters of rec were pretty good (my teachers gave them to me to proofread)
already admitted to university of michigan</p>
<p>Don't even worry about it. Everything looks fine, and you're grades are better than mine. (I was accepted EA.) However I wouldn't tell them that you aren't taking those classes for the challenge. You'd probably rather have them believe that you're taking them to challenge yourself.</p>
<p>how about if we were accepted EA and our grades go down a little bit in our midyear reports? i'm sort of worried because i got an A in history first trimester and now i think i might be getting a B+...i'm not slacking, but i'm just not doing quite as well as i was before...</p>
<p>
[quote]
i'm not even taking these classes for the challenge of it, i'm taking it to fulfill an obligation to my magnet program. would a letter explaining this help?
[/quote]
This is probably the worst thing you could possibly say. </p>
<p>Having said that, if your grades are only a little lower than normal due to a tough schedule, it shouldn't have much effect. If there is a more significant drop, then it's a different matter.</p>
<p>As to midyear grades of admitted students, from Ted O'Neill's class of 2009 speech:
[quote]
...We hope, just because you imagined that when you arrived you would catch a whiff of the corpse of fun, that you didn’t delay your departure. Maybe you thought…you got the wrong letter! Or, that we changed our decision – we found out that you didn’t study for your calculus placement exam, or read The Iliad, or memorize French idioms, or, that we really paid attention to your spring semester C- in AP Chemistry – that instead you went to the beach, de-tassled corn, or drank a root beer – things no University of Chicago student is supposed to do. But – we don’t make mistakes, and, stare decisus –the decision stands (for the next day or so, the Latin phase newscasters will take the most pleasure in saying), stare decisus, unless you really think those old judges didn’t know what they were doing – stare decisus – “you’re stuck” is the English translation.
<p>corranged, what would u consider a significant drop? my weighted gpa shouldn't change at all but i think my unwieghted will. i don't imagine my rank will drop much either. i'm looking @ the possibility of 2 B+'s and 1 B which terrifies me. as for classes, yeah it is challenging but i'm not taking it as a fun challenge to prove to myself that i can do it but more like i have to take it to graduate a member of the magnet program. i don't mean to explain that i hate ap phys but more to say "i'm sorry for the drop in grades. i realize there are no excuses and i'm not giving any. i take full responsibility for my actions but please know that science is not my passion. it's never been my calling and i hope that you'll realize i want to come to your school to study political science and economics things that i, and the university of chicago excel (well duh, i'm sure they know that) at."</p>
<p>Don't write that or any letter. I don't think your grades will make a large difference, but I, of course, do not work in the admissions office. It really depends on your personal file.</p>