I made a B...

Applying to College
1

So my 10th grade honors English class was supposed to be an easy A - and for the first half of last semester, it was! My teacher is a pretty harsh grader, but I’m a strong writer and a good test-taker, so I had about a 95 until about Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I slacked off on two assignments at the end of the semester (in preparation for an essay, we were supposed to turn in annotated printouts of our sources and a practice works cited page) because I thought they were minor classwork or homework assignments and I was busy with my two AP classes. As it turns out, both assignments were entered as “essay” grades - they were the only two grades entered in that category, which was weighted 25% of our final grade. At the end of the semester, I checked the online gradebook and saw that I had received an 89 (89!!!) for the semester. I emailed my teacher, literally begging for remediation or extra credit, but she told me that grades closed on the last day of the semester (not true - they actually closed January 4th, the day before second semester started).

tl;dr I got an 89 in a sophomore-level English classes. Have I ruined my chances at competitive schools, Ivies, etc?

2

You’re fine. A few Bs will not ruin chances at competitive schools.

3

It is fine. Consider yourself luck that you learned an important lesson about the dangers of slacking off early on.

4

Thanks @Lagging and @happy1 :slight_smile:

5

A 92.9% at my school is still a B+. Do you know how many times I have gotten a 92.9%?

6

Forget it, you are doomed.

Seriously, it is much more likely bad ECs or a bad essay will kill your app than one B in a sophomore English class.

Worry about your ECs for your remaining two years and seek out your English teachers advice on improving your writing.

7

@2020classx That’s tough! I think my dad’s school was like that growing up…? It was a Catholic school in Pennsylvania. Now I’m wondering if that’s a private school thing or a Northern thing, or both or neither.
@rhandco Thank you :slight_smile: I’ve spoken with my teacher and she told me that my writing is some of the best in her classes, it probably had to do more with my work ethic during the semester.