hey yall! so i really messed up this semester by taking ap physics, and i’m pretty sure i’m gonna end up with a C in the class (along with possibly a B in another.) it’s not my first either - i got a C in math the summer after eighth grade (it still shows up on my transcript bc it was a HS class) and another in comp sci freshman year (as you can see i’m really not a STEM person lol.) aside from these, my grades have been straight As, i’ve taken a lot of AP classes (10+), and my grades have def shown an upward trend… until this semester. 
i’ve applied ED to cornell so i’m waiting to hear back - fingers crossed, thankfully they won’t see my first sem grades. if i get rejected (which is obviously likely), i’d planned on applying ED2 to emory and some other top 20 schools (such as rice, john hopkins, etc.) my chances were obvi already slim before, but now they’ll be even worse w my first sem grades. i was just wondering, should i even try applying to these schools w my grades… like have i ruined my chances so much that i shouldn’t even bother at this point? am i j being delusional even thinking i’d cld get in…? do i even have a chance at less competitive schools like nyu, boston, etc.?
my SAT is p average (1480) and i think i have decent ECs (a lot of which are related to my intended major, communications) but it’s nothing REALLY special. it just feels bad bc i feel like i grinded so hard these past 2 years to make up for those early Cs, only to mess things up again (but that’s all on me ofc.)
any thoughts/advice? sorry this is so long, tysm to anyone that replies!!
Well, AP Physics is a hard class, and the AOs know it. Comp Sci can be difficult (or at least time consuming) too, especially for a freshman. My DD is one of very few freshman in her school taking it now, and the majority of the class is juniors and seniors, and they are also finding it tough FWIW. So kudos to you for trying it out early.
Your chances at Cornell are only about 10% in the best of situations (less than that, really, if you aren’t hooked). If you don’t get in, it probably won’t be because of those couple grades. You’re up against the most accomplished teens in the country (and even the world), and they are not just successful in terms of grades. Hopefully you get in, but in the meantime, keep doing your best in the physics class and show some love to the applications to those other schools.
yess, i totally agree ? thank you so much!!
I agree with the poster above.
Still apply to the schools you mentioned if you want. You’ll never know if you don’t apply. See what happens with Cornell. At the same time, apply to a few match schools and one or two likely/safety schools.
And whatever you do, don’t get discouraged. I agree that AP Physics is known to be a tough class. Talk to your teacher and see if you can pull a B with tutoring, extra credit, a study group…whatever you can do. If not though, it’s okay. You will end up somewhere good. 
thank you for the encouraging words! it means a lot :,)
no advice from me but that’s because i’m in the same boat, taking ap physics was a big mistake bc i’m about to have a C and i don’t think i can pull to a B lol :8(( the only thing is for me i’m applying ed to an ivy as a stem major so idk if that looks bad :8( but just here to let you know ur not alone :^)
Look at the bright side. By taking AP Physics C now, you have the opportunity to take the AP test in May and if you do well enough, you won’t have to retake it in college whether it’s Cornell or somewhere else and it is probably better to have taken it in HS than in a college setting. However, even if you don’t do well enough on the AP test and have to retake it, you will at least have had the exposure to it when you retake it and that will give you an advantage over all the students who have never seen it before, since it is pretty much required in any Stem major.
They most likely won’t kick you out once accepted, however, if you applied to COE you were supposed to have sent in your Q1 grades already so they would’ve already seen you weren’t acing the class. And, it’s ok not to ace everything. That is what life is about! No one aces life!
Good luck to all of you!
@lovelin ahh praying for both of us :,) i sadly got deferred but wishing the best of luck to you!!
@srparent15 i agree! thank you for the encouragement <3 :,)