How much will a bad semester effect my chances for the ivies?

Hey everyone,

So basically I’m currently a sophomore and have been taking the hardest classes my school has to offer. Additionally, I’m a nationally ranked tennis player who works as a tennis coach for younger children, has a tutoring job, as well as part of Onclass (student run nonprofit for kids without educational oppurtunities). The first semester of my sophomore year I got all A’s (4.33 gpa) and second semester everything has fallen apart (all B’s) due to family tensions and pressure. My parents continue to argue about finances and always tell me how “if I don’t get into any prestigious school, they won’t help me in college tuition and my life will be ruined”. Lately, my tennis performance has also declined having me drop ranks just resulting in my parents getting more mad at me. . I feel like if I stay strong mentally, I’ll be able to come out of this and maintain all A’s for my junior and senior years but will it still be possible to get into at least one of the ivies even with a semester of bad grades, and if it isn’t is there anything else I can do to boost my application.

Thanks

Don’t worry about it. I think as long as you can explain what caused you to do bad on that semester and how you overcame it on your essay, your application will still be strong. Even if I am wrong, there is nothing you can do to change your grades from that semester. So, just do your best from now on!