<p>Hello, everyone...I'm sorry I keep plaguing you with posts. I was accepted to Smith EDI. However, I am (likely) anticipating a D on my 1st semester report card. I'm seriously concerned that this will affect my chances of being admitted fully in the fall. Do you think sending a letter along with my trascript expressing my desire to vastly improve my 2nd semester senior grades will help? Also, I really am lost; Smith ED is binding, and I can't apply to any more schools. What will I do if Smith decides not to take me, and when will I hear a last word from them, if any? I don't expect anyone to have exact answers to all of my questions, but any advice or information anyone could give me would be EXTREMELY appreciated. Thank you again and good luck to all of you out there.</p>
<p>This is WAG (Wild Assed Guess): at worst, they might ask you to retake the "D" course in summer school. If you were accepted ED, they have to be pretty high on you.</p>
<p>But this is the kind of question where you should be upfront and direct, contacting the admissions office, not a bunch of strangers on an internet board reduced to WAG's or worse.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Narquelion, take TheDad's advice on contacting Smith directly. </p>
<p>Also, you're going to have to figure out why you got that D - and how to bring up your GPA by the end of the year by addressing the problem. All colleges require that the high school send final grades to ensure that the student didn't totally blow off academics senior year. If that D is an anomaly on an otherwise strong report card, it probably won't affect you. A bunch of Cs with that D most likely will. </p>
<p>My own WAG (love the term, TD!) is that Smith won't revoke their offer unless your end-of-the-year grades are bad. When you call admissions, I'm sure you'll be lectured about the importance of maintaining your GPA, but I'd be surprised if they said anything more definitive.</p>
<p>As a piece of motherly advice - not just for you, but for all seniors - I'll say that it's extremely unwise to slack off senior year, not only because your admissions offer could be jeopardized but also because you need to be ready to do college work in the fall. HS seniors who coast generally find it much more difficult to buckle down to tackle the rigorous academics of freshman year. </p>
<p>One more piece of advice: talk to your teacher about that D. Teachers react positively to struggling students who want to improve. Your efforts to work with the teacher may make the difference between a D+ and a C- if you're on the cusp, simply because the teacher can tell that you're trying. Also, some teachers will offer struggling students extra credit or some other kind of break, such as the opportunity to re-write an essay or re-take a test. The best question you can ask this teacher is "What do I need to do to do better in this class?" It might be something as simple as writing more thorough lab reports or paying more attention to homework.</p>
<p>This kind of interaction with teachers will pave the way for your interaction with professors at Smith. I know for a fact that Smith professors are eager to work with students outside of the classroom. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>MWFN, there is also SWAG: scientific/silly/sophisticated WAG, which (the first variant) I actually learned first.</p>
<p>Nar & anyone else, MWFN makes an excellent point: the transition to college from high school, particularly a college in the realm of the Top 50 Universities/Top 20 LAC's, is no joke. It's akin to 8th-grade to high school; many students make the change with nary a ripple, while many also have a bit of a struggle. For many, for the first time in their lives, everyone in their class is going to be "one of the smart ones." Or, as they say at Yale, "50 percent of you will be below average for the first time in your life." The speed of the pitching is faster & your competition is better. In such an environment, good work habits are a major plus.</p>