So I have good news and bad news. Here’s the good news: I got a 35 on my October ACT with my subscores as 34 - math, 35 - reading, 35 - writing, and 34 - science. For my essay, I got a 9. Bad News: I’m going to get a C+ in H. Precalc and a B in Physics, but A’s in all my other classes(4.14 W for this semester in school, but most likely higher because I’ve done online APs due to not being able to get in at school). For my updated extracurriculars, I have created a company, along with my peers, that assists schools and students. I have also hosted 2 hackathons and reached 400+ hours of community service. Will it look bad if I send in my ACT scores to college along with a C+ in H. Precalc? Will I still be able to go to a decent college now?
Can you drop down to Regular Precalculus?
The C+ is going to hurt at colleges that want first quarter/first semester grades.
The 35 will make you stand out at many universities that don’t require these grades.
So it all depends on where exactly you’re going to apply now.
I’m still a Junior and apparently it gets easier in 2nd semester.
@MYOS1634 You’re a junior correct? Is the grade for just one semester (year-long class) or is that your final grade? Can you retake the H pre-calc next semester and sub the grade? You could then take Calc AB senior year. More so than the grade, it is really important that you thoroughly understand pre-calc to establish a good base for the 2-3 calc classes you’ll need for your major.
This grade is just for the semester, and is before final exams for the semester. If I do well on the final exam(80), I could end up with a B-. To make up for this grade - to colleges- I plan on doing all of the homework for the next semester over winter break and study like crazy for next semester. Will colleges like it if I get an A in Honors Precalculus next semester?
@Pokemanexpert it will depend how your school reports grades on your transcript. Do they show semester grades or just the final grade? Im not familiar with your grading system. Every class here is only one semester long and the school only shows final grades on the transcript, not intermediate grades (like marking periods or in your case semesters). If your pre-calc class is in fact a year-long class; would your school report only the final averaged grade of the 2 semesters or does your transcript show semester grades?
My school only shows semesters grades.
I also plan on trying to write all my college essays during Winter break/April-July so I could hopefully increase my chances then. Would you recommend that I do that?
@Pokemonexpert I would focus on essays during the summer; it sounds like you have enough on your plate right now. You could maybe do a little brainstorming if you have free time, but I’d focus on getting your pre-calc grade solid first. D20 took 1 week off after the last day of Junior year then focused on essays for the rest of the summer. Most of the topics were released by then; she was able to send them to her AP teacher over the summer to proof and make suggestions. She was regimented with working on them 2-3 hours, 3-4 days per week. She was able to write her main app essays plus several supplemental options that could be re-worked for scholarship and honors college apps. She was so happy she had done them over the summer when everyone else in her APs were struggling to balance a massive homework loads and college essays. It’s important to remember in the quest to take everything you think colleges want to see that you don’t lose focus on the amount of effort and time it takes to do all of the homework well and fully comprehend the material; otherwise you may find it difficult in your sequential classes in college if you aren’t building a solid foundation now. Take things one step at a time; sometimes it’s better to slow things down just a bit and do them well than rush to do everything at once.
Make your semester grade a B- and your spring semester grade a B+ and you’re ok.
@Pokemanexpert Congrats on the ACT score of 35! Like many others here, I would also suggest that you focus on grades in math and science in your school . Do these online courses in math appear in your school transcript? If not, they won;t be of much help with college admissions. Colleges are interested in the grades and rigor of the courses taken in your school. The EC’s and community service are secondary to grades and test scores.
I see a disconnect between your ACT score of 35 and you struggles in math courses in high school . I surmise that you have spent quite a bit of time prepping for the ACT, which, unlike the exams in high school, you can retake multiple times on pretty much the same material. Colleges know this as well.
These online math courses do not appear on my school transcript, however I have been advised by my counselors to put in my college application because the colleges will apparently recalculate my GPA.
So should I still be looking at the colleges that were mentioned at the beginning?
@Pokemanexpert Your grades in junior year at your school will be very important for college applications. You already have the test score piece. I would suggest you truly focus on getting these math and science grades in at least the B+ range . You will need grades that confirm your high ACT score.
If your parents are willing to pay for OOS safeties such as AsU or UofA, you will have more options, even with a somewhat weaker transcript.
As a college professor in math, I suggest you address your math issues first before thinking about your college list. Perhaps get a tutor for math?
I got a B- in math because my teacher put in the final!
My GPA, if the rest of my grades remain the same, is now a 3.71 UW/ 4.28 W.
Congratulations!!! You’re good to go. Now, make a plan for next semester, because you need to stay at B- or get higher. Talk to your teacher, ask for advice about what you should do (get a tutor, specific extra work…?)
Ok so during winter break, I finished the rest of my precalculus textbook and started a Calc 1 course from Berkeley in which I am almost done and currently have a 92%(This is extremely surprising considering my weakness in math). I am also taking the AB the exam, so I have finished up an online course for this as well. If I were to add this to my transcript, my Weighted GPA would be around 4.3 and 4.4 & my unweighted for the semester would be 3.75-3.8 Do these courseS show colleges that I am improving and can succeed at the academic level now? Will I be able to aim at colleges such as Purdue?
On a side note, I find precalculus to be much harder than calculus. Is this normal?
CS is the hardest major to get into at Purdue. You can apply but know it’s a long shot. You will likely get no scholarship or financial aid of that is important.