One D grade during first semester of senior year. Am I screwed?

Applying to College
1

Long story short, I might end the first semester with a D in physics and I’m freaking out right now.

The semester ends in a little over a month and I have a 69% so it’s not like it’s not impossible for me to bring that up to a C but I really need some advice right now to ease my anxiety. If I were to have a D on my first-semester senior transcript, would it be possible to send them an explanation? I’m not sure if this would even validate my D but the grade average for all of my teacher’s physics classes are extremely low to the point where the school has even told him to lower his standards down, according to my teacher, which he hasn’t done.

Would colleges be willing to look over one D? I’ve never had a D on my transcript before until (possibly) this year and I feel like I’m an all-around decent student. I’ve been on my schools XC and track team for 4 years and I was on the varsity team for both of those sports for 3 years and 2 years. I’ve also maintained a decent UW GPA of 3.63, a CSU/UC GPA of 3.96, and I have taken a total of 9 AP classes and a few accelerated classes throughout my 4 years. My SAT score is 1130.

I’m a CA resident applying to:
Cal State LB
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal State Fullerton
Sacramento State
San Diego State
San Francisco State
UC Davis
UC Santa Cruz
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
U of Oregon

And if it helps, I’m planning on majoring in history.

What do these specific colleges generally do with students like me if I were to get accepted and have one D on my senior transcript?

2

The UCs and CSUs don’t normally rescind admission for Cs. They have for multiple Ds. For one D? It depends. They can rescind. You’ll need to explain what happened, and as soon as you are admitted, you will need to contact them, explain that you got a D first term, and then they’ll consider what will happen next.

If you don’t let them know about the D before you send your final transcripts, that D will be a major issue. They want you to let them know about the D as soon as you get it. So don’t skip that step.

With that said, some of the UCs/CSUs will only be concerned if this was one of your A-G requirements. Others care no matter what type of class it was. Work hard to try to bring that D up to a C, so you don’t have to worry. Can you get a tutor - perhaps a physics major from a local college, or a past student from your high school who got a good grade in this class?

3

@RoaringMice has given you good advice. If you do get that D, you are required to contact all schools with this information and find out your options. The CSU’s tend to be more forgiving than the UC’s, but you still need to find out if this will be an issue. I would definitely do everything within your power to get that grade up to a C. I am sure your teacher is aware of what is at stake for you as a Senior so hopefully they would be willing to give you some extra help or extra credit. Getting a tutor for the rest of the year would be a good idea.