Greetings, I got a B+ in Honors English 9 and a B in AP Calculus AB in my Freshman year (these were one quarter grades. So in AP Calculus AB I got one A and one B ). After that, I had an upward trend with difficult classes. Will top colleges not care about these mess ups in Freshman year?
Taking calculus as a freshman is very unusual. Saying that you “messed up” is beyond disingenuous.
Most high schools do not list quarter grades on the transcripts. Even if yours does, colleges will focus on the final grade. Regardless, one or 2 Bs will not be the reason you are rejected.
The “woe is me” attitude that you seem to have in this thread though, if apparent in your essays and/or recs, will most definitely not win you points. Good luck.
Could you elaborate on the “Woe is me” attitude and saying I messed up is disingenuous?
“Will top colleges not care about these mess ups in Freshman year?” That is faaaar from messing up.
As in, it is far from messing up in a good way or bad way?
Also, thanks for all the help.
@divider29 most high school students have Bs on their transcripts. Many have Cs. For you to claim that you “messed up” because you got a B in one quarter is absurd and shows a lack of perspective on your part. That fact that you even think that this is something to ask a question about says a lot about you and not in a good way. There are many students on this site who have GPAs closer to 3.0 than 4.0. Did they all “mess up” in all their classes?
You did not mess up. Don’t think that you did.
I haven’t seen a single school show quarterly grades on their transcript. What do you mean by messed up? That kind of attitude does not look good to colleges at all. If this was how you wrote your essays, that could be an even bigger problem. Also, how are you taking AP Calc AB freshman, of course, it will be tough. Usually, an ap class does not require just prereq knowledge in that subject, it demands a sort of maturity from the student. Also, you didn’t mess up, taking ap calc ab freshman year looks GOOD in your transcript. Don’t worry about your “mess-ups”.
How will they look at your Freshman grades?
First, you need to understand what grades show on your transcript. Quarterly, semester, full year? Quarterly grades appearing would be very rare. They will look at what your school provides. If you’re concerned about grades you really should investigate and understand what is reported.
Second - they will look at the grades as part of the set of data for every student being considered for admission. Grades are important, getting more so later in your HS career. They will compare them to other applicants, along with standardized test scores, essays, EC’s, interviews, recommendations, etc., etc.
Third - it sounds like this was well in the past. Why are you asking and what actions do you think you might take based on answers you may receive?
Are you a freshman in high school? Relax, enjoy your high school years, they fly by quickly. Don’t get hang up with grades so early so much, it is not healthy.
You seem to be quite advanced in your math progression, pay more attention to other subjects, don’t think about college yet.