Hi. I’m a junior in high school and am not excelling at my fullest potential. In my first semester (currently second semester), I attained a D+ in Pre Calculus Honors. I realize how horrible that is, and am doing my best to bring it up (I am currently at a B for this current semester). I’ve improved my test taking abilities (that is what kills me for math…not the actual content). Anyway, my GPA fell from a 4.3 to a 4.1 but at the moment, on a 4.0 scale, I have a 3.710 as a GPA. I’m trying to elevate my grades circumstantially. Should I just give up my hopes of Johns Hopkins and Cornell? If I get my grade up to a B as a final grade for Pre Calculus, and maintain a B+ to A for Calculus in senior year, do you think I still have a chance? Or should I just not apply at all because of the D+?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Have you taken SAT/ACT already? uwGPA of 3.7 is a little bit low for top school, however, it really depends on the grading scale of your school.
I haven’t taken the SAT/ACT yet, but I will take them in June. Based on the PSAT, my anticipated total score should be around a 2100. For my GPA, that is how it is now, but it will raise as the marking period goes onward (as long as I keep my grades up).
Don’t give up! You’re going to have some explaining to do on your application, but I urge you to still apply.
@pharmacyitup No problem. I wish you the best of luck for the future, you’re going to do well. Pre-calc is tough; been there, done that. I’m happy you’re improving, and I hope to run across you someday on here and see that you’ve been accepted to somewhere great. 
Will your school allow you to remediate the 1st semester Pre Calculus Honors class that you received a D+ in with an online or other substitute class and then use that grade instead [which is hopefully higher] in your GPA?
Don’t give up hope…just try to bump up your UW GPA a little bit.
Even if you end up with a B, that’s still really good. I am more than confident you will end up with an A next year. Are you planning to take AP Calculus senior year?
Anyways, always remember that grades aren’t everything…and a 4.1 W and a 3.7 UW is competitive in my eyes.
In CC’s eyes, 3.7UW is low for those schools but I don’t think you should give up hope. Bringing up a D to a B is fantastic, and I think you can work hard and get those grades up. If there’s anything colleges love to see, it’s upward improvement. 
I’ll have to check on that…thanks for the suggestion!
I wasn’t planning on taking AP Calculus…should I? I wanted to see how much improvement I can rattle out by the end of this year and then determine if I should take AP Calculus.
Thanks for the encouragement…my freshman and sophomore year uw GPA cumulatively has been a 3.9 unweighted, so a 3.7 is an eye opener, and I do want to erase that mark and bring it back to a 3.9.