I got a C in AP Physics my junior year.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m taking a rigorous course load this year, and I’m devastated because I’m sure I got a C in physics this quarter. (I’m dreading telling my parents.) I have all A’s for the rest of my classes, and B’s from my freshman year, as well as past quarters in AP Physics. My extracurriculars are not spectacular- I am the Vice President of a community service club, a competitive member of speech and debate, and, ironically, an active member of Physics Society. I’ve only taken the SAT once and have yet to receive my scores, but am planning on taking it two more times.

I would like to take physics again this summer at a community college and possibly get a better grade. Since I’m planning on being a doctor, it was pretty upsetting to do so horribly when science usually comes easily to me, and I’d like to go over the material again to at least try and get a better understanding of it. Would you advise against this?

Finally, should I even consider applying to schools like Boston U or UPenn? Or even UCD and other UC’s? Is there no way of redeeming this?

2

It depends on how your school does grades. I know at my school that getting all Bs and 1 C will end up with a final grade of a B, so aim on bringing that grade up in your final quarter and final exams. C’s won’t automatically keep you out of Boston U, I saw a kid from my school get in with a D as a final grade. Try to do volunteering with a local hospital to show interest in being a doctor. Ultimately, if you want to retake your AP Physics, that’s up to you, but make sure you check and see if it’ll eliminate your C from the class during the year (if that ends up being your final grade), because if it doesn’t get rid of the bad grade, it’s not really worth taking. Wait for your test scores to come back and then re-evaluate… you’ll never know if you can get into Boston U, UPenn and the UCs if you don’t apply!