Hey Guys,
So I am usually a straight A student but this year I got a final average of a 76 in AP physics I. I studied extensively but just couldn’t do well enough on the tests, to add on my teacher is the strictest AND hardest teacher I’ve ever had! I feel like I could’ve done better and maybe gotten a B- or a 80 final but I wasn’t able to do so…
Will this hurt my chances at applying to Upenn or JHU? I really want to major in Pre-Med and other than this class all my other grades are pretty solid. I currently have a 4.10 GPA counting other classes.
@DrGoogle I am in 11th grade.
I think you should be ok if you have straight As with one C+. But please be aware that even with a 4.0 there is no guarantee of anything either. It depends on the pool of each admission year. For Penn, are you still in the top 10% with the C+?
How much did it hurt your unweighted GPA? What are your other grades in 11th grade? Any B’s or other C’[s?
Retake it in the summer online or in the summer via other means if it really bothers you. Make sure to check with your school that they will let you add the grade to your transcript.
Yeah I would say I am in the top 10%… I was recently qualified to be in NHS. All my grades from freshman to Junior Year are As except an 85 in Precalc Sophomore year and this year I might end up with a B+ for Calculus.
I wouldn’t apply for premed at JHU.
For med school, you need to find a college where you’d be in the top 25% of admitted students.
Premed is not a major, it’s just a set of classes (2 semesters each of biology, chemistry, physics, and English, + 1 semester each of calculus, statistics, biochemistry, organic chemistry, psychology, sociology, + preferably proficiency in a language spoken by immigrants, such as Korean, Portuguese, Creole French, Hmong, Somali, etc., which may require some out-of-school learning with basics in college if the language’s offered.)
@MYOS1634 Thank You! I have a list of schools I am interested in and will finalize where I want to apply early during the summer.
I feel that C will really stand out because all my other grades are literally As and I worked really hard for that C but I was four points short from a B-. Should I take Physics II at a Community College over the Summer…I checked they don’t offer Physics I??
What will colleges think if I got a C in the AP class but a better grade in the community college class?
Check what sort of Physics your “College Physics 2” class is. Many college physics classes are calculus-based, meaning Physics 2 at the college would not be the class after AP Physics 1, but the class after Physics C. You need to take an algebra-based physics class.
Okay I am going to contact them but it says that Physics 1 is the only prerequisite so I am assuming it’s right after…but I am going to double check. If I do well in that class (since that’s the only thing I’ll worry about) will it help lessen the effect of the C?
I wouldn’t worry too much about that one C+.
However, a 4.10 weighted GPA for an otherwise straight-A student seems low to me. ? Do you not take a lot of honors/AP classes? At the Ivies, the rigor of your schedule (lots of honors/APs) is more important than GPA.
@pineapple86 All the courses offered at my school are honors…i took apes this year and calculus (I am one year ahead because I took pre calc last year)
It’s definitely harder to get a B in a college class than in a hs class so yes it’d mitigate the problem. Check the date for withdrawal though - when you can withdraw without the class appearing on a transcript. You want to be sure the grade is good. Of course use office hours and the tutoring center - most students who pass, do - but have a way out if your first two grades are lower than a B.
“Physics 1” in college may not be the equivalent of AP phys 1.
Physics can be algebra- based, or calculus - based. Most colleges will offer both and are free to number them in whatever way they wish. That’s why you need to check tthe syllabus to make sure the class is algebra -based (ie., part of the same sequence as the class you took.)