<p>In my junior year, I got a 68 in AP Chemistry. It's my only bad grade among my A's.
However, I got a 3 on the AP Test, and a 690 on the SAT II. Will that make up for it?</p>
<p>I had a really bad relationship with the teacher and he played favorites.</p>
<p>I have a 27 ACT score, and I'm going to retake it this Saturday (aiming for a 30 with my practice tests).
I am still in the top 10 percent, even with this bad grade. </p>
<p>And I have a number of EC's under my belt.</p>
<p>Will this tremendously hurt my chances of admissions?</p>
<p>I'm looking into schools like:</p>
<p>Binghamton University
SUNY Boston University
SUNY Buffalo University
WPI</p>
<p>Just to do some quick number crunching:
6 classes; 6 A’s = 4.0
6 classes; 5 A’s and one D+ = 3.56</p>
<p>Does it bring your GPA down significantly? Yes.</p>
<p>Does it ruin your chances at a school? Not necessarily. School often overlook a single bad grade. It is when all of your grades sag that this is a problem, as they feel that you cannot handle your course load.</p>
<p>Luckily, your GPA still falls with in range for these schools. I would not necessarily brag about a 3 on the AP exam, though. While it is an acceptable score, it is not high enough to prove that your grade in the class was a fluke.</p>
<p>And yea… you’re right amibitious2. My teacher would never answer my questions. I could never learn. He would answer other people’s questions and just simply ridicule me… </p>
<p>But either way, I had to learn everything off a Barron’s book.</p>
<p>I had a terrible teacher for Calc my senior year, was already bad at math, and got a D. If it makes you feel any better, after I had applied to my top choice, they sent me a letter asking why that grade was low considering that was out of the normal, I got to explain my situation, and they admitted me. I think schools are pretty understanding as long as its not a trend, it’s obviously not going to help having that grade, but I don’t think they will write you off immediately for it.</p>
<p>PRQuin does raise a good point that colleges are often forgiving, but you can’t count on it. If you are worried about your one grade in Chemistry, you might want to attach a note to your initial application explaining your grade. Not all schools will give you the same opportunity (as they did to PRQuin) to explain yourself after having already submitted your application.</p>
<p>If you explain your grade to colleges, don’t point fingers at your teacher. It would only show immaturity. Though the teacher might have been unfair, you want to convey yourself as a mature adult that can see beyond the biased teacher and learn from the experience.</p>
<p>@dasdui I hate when people say that. Sometimes, you just get a really $hitty teacher who doesn’t like you and clearly takes it out on you.</p>
<p>I’ve had teachers pick me on the first day to be one of the kids they don’t like, and then proceed to give me more points off on tests than other kids who got the same ones wrong were marked, and incorrectly calculating my grades. Sometimes it happens. Is unfortunately not too uncommon nowadays, when the majority of teacherrs aren’t teaching because it’s actually what they love to do.</p>
<p>@born2dance94- So has everyone else! You have to adapt and find a way to succeed in your class. This is where the best students are separated from the mediocre. You can complain, or you can just work harder. </p>
<p>“I’ve had teachers pick me on the first day to be one of the kids they don’t like, and then proceed to give me more points off on tests than other kids go the same ones wrong were marked” - Why didn’t you take this up with your counselor, or show the teacher how your test and the other student’s were the same?</p>
<p>I did work hard, and in every single one of those classes managed to get an A or A+.</p>
<p>And in one case the guidance counselor did have to be involved because the teacher kept claiming I hadn’t handed in work, only for me to bring in an entire folder I’d collected of all the work she claimed I’d not handed in, signed and dated by her. </p>
<p>And as for getting marked lower, first of all I wouldn’t want to put those kids in the line of fire of the teacher. Second of all, unfortunately the great majority of high schools are too selfish to agree to be put in that situation. When I asked one or two of them if I could personally show him the differences in our tests, they said no because they didn’t want him mad at them. And I forgave them, because it’s understandable. But when I confronted him, he claimed it wasn’t true, and without actual proof in my hands, there was nothing I could do.</p>
<p>Alright, I’ll try not to blame the teacher. What do you think I should say instead?</p>
<p>Because I honestly felt uncomfortable in that class. I’m Asian, and he would make numerous jokes about it and put me down. I seriously lost all hope to even work in that class. It was too late to drop it because it was my only science class…</p>
<p>maybe have your counselor mention something about it in your rec? you should still definitely be in at wpi and ub, not so sure about bing and bu though.</p>