I got my first C+ In all of high school in AP Chem as a junior. All my grades through out high school have been at least an A- with some B+s. How much does this hurt my chances of getting into a good school like northeastern? What if I can get up to a B+ for semester 2? My school does not allow freshmen and sophomores to take aps and only allows juniors to take 3-4 aps. I am taking AP stats as well and I have an A-. My extracurricular are solid but nothing amazing.
Am I just over stressing? I am fairly confident I can hit 1500 on my next sat
It won’t look good, but it is unlikely to immediately move your application to the rejection pile. It is a holistic review, so as long as you aren’t majoring in chemistry or chemistry-related areas AND you have other things going for you (like the 1500 SAT), you should still have the same chance every other applicant has, which is to say, a very small one, since this is a highly ranked school.
Will It look a lot better if I can get my semester 2 grade to at least a B+?
Yes, that would help. You can ask your guidance counselor whether the school sends grades from both semesters or just the end of the year grade. I’ve heard of it being done both ways, and obviously the latter would benefit you.
I’m pretty sure the School sends from both semesters :(. Will the improvement standout? Especially if I get an A- or above
You should probably not fret too much over this. The important grade is the one you are assigned at the end of the course. Some schools send semester grades to colleges and others don’t. You can find out what they send by requesting an official transcript. That’s a good idea anyway to make sure everything is in order before you start applying to schools. Even if they send both semester grades, it’s the final grade for the course that counts. Also, seeing a dramatic improvement 2nd semester over 1st may play to your favor-by showing you can face up to a challenge and find ways to overcome obstacles. Too many students avoid such challenges, drop down levels for a higher grade. Better to stick with it and rule.
The impact of one poor grade on the transcript is dependent upon a host of variables. Naturally if you are planning to major in chemistry, having a low final grade in the subject would catch attention. Yet even that can be overcome by scoring a 5 on the AP test and perhaps nailing a top SAT2 Chem score. And, if you are applying for any STEM major or to a primarily STEM school, you’d really want to make sure you have outstanding grades on your other STEM associated classes.
Never-the-less, if your other grades are very good, one aberration will just be interpreted as such. So I would not be too concerned. Might make sense to get tutoring for the remaining part of the 2nd semester so you an max on your grade and do as well as possible on the AP exam. You’ve got 3 months- you should be able to do well by starting now with a tutor and by accessing any help your teacher provides.
Not every school district assigns a final grade. In our district, you get two semester letter grades, and that’s it.
OP, there’s nothing you can do about last semester’s grade. Focus on what you can change; do your best this semester.
Thanks for the advice. Helped alleviate my stress. I’ll be sure to make changes and get a tutor in order to have a good second semester and do well on the AP Exam