Okay, so I’m a freshman at a Virginia highschool and I’m freaking out because I got a 79 in english in this past quarter. My unweighted gpa is a 3.7 for the first semester and I usually get B+ and A- and A’s but I got a C+ in english. I know that Virginia schools are super competitive in state and I’m freaking out. Are my chances of getting anywhere totally ruined?! 
Why did you get a 79?
I messed up on a project while presenting. I got nervous but it was worth a lot of points so it brought my grade down a ton. Also, reading comprehension isn’t my strong point.
OK so you work on reading comprehension-- it’s important, no matter what you’ll major in or do later in life.
And oral presentations are also important, pretty much no matter what you do.
Don’t stress about the grade. Instead, consider it a wakeup call. Now that you know what your weaknesses are, develop a plan to overcome them.
And thank you for taking the blame on yourself, instead of blaming the teacher. That, in and of itself, tells me that you’ll go far.
Thank you. I’m a student leader at my school so public speaking is getting easier for me and it will hopefully continue to. I just messed up, really badly though haha. I really appreciate it a lot. Again, thank you.
You’re definitely not screwed! I also go to a Virginia high school. You know your weaknesses, so work on them and do your best this quarter. You’re a freshman and colleges want to see an upward trend in your grades and rigor of classes taken anyways. You will also have a chance to explain how you’ve overcome anxiety with public speaking, if you choose that for an essay topic for your application. If you need more hope: I got a C in my junior year and I got accepted into UVA and William and Mary. While it feels like the end of the world, it’s not going to seem as bad a few years from now. Good luck, you got this!
I’m so relieved. Thank you so much. My parents are still going to kill me, but that definitely make me feel a lot better.
If you bring it up next quarter and get a B for the semester, you’re good. Quarter grades don’t really matter, but you will have to work harder to bring it up.
The previous quarters I got B+s and I usually have A’s in english, so I think I’m good, glad to hear that. Thank you.
I bet your parents won’t be as bad as you think.
As much as we want the best for and from our kids, we know they’re only human. You’re allowed to make the occasional mistake.
And that 79 is light years ahead of one of my seniors who is currently sporting a 31 test average in a class he needs to graduate.
You have the rest of the year to bring it up. Since you know which areas to work on, I’d focus on those areas to bring your year grade to at least a B. Good luck
Use this as an opportunity to learn from what happened. Did you practice your presentation out loud? Did you practice it in front of other people? This will help.
For reading comprehension talk to your teacher about techniques that may help. Also google “how to improve reading comprehension” for more ideas.
I definitely will do it in front of people. I just went over what I was going to say on paper and in my head but I should’ve done it in front of people instead.
How did your parents react? If you haven’t told them, then do so.
I haven’t yet. I will. Luckily, I have straight A’s outside of English and it’s ironic because besides the C, this would’ve been my best quarter this year. I’ll tell them though. The quarter ends next week so I’m hoping my teacher will give us another quiz or something because I’m 8 points short of an 80, which is a B-. I don’t think so though. They’ll probably will just be disappointed. I hate that more than anything to be honest. I’ve never gotten below a B in a class before and they get disappointed in me for that. I don’t know. I’ll tell them.