Okay, so I really messed up bad in my first semester of my senior year. It all started with me not doing the summer assignment. This then compounded with senoritis and my teacher being unlike any I’ve had before and not having a lot of grades… now it seems that I’ve gotten an F in my AP English class!! I’ve applied to several high tier liberal arts schools, and I’ve already been accepted to Pitt. Even when I pull it up to a passing grade, how bad does this hurt my chances of getting admitted? How possible is it that Pitt rescinds me? I feel like I should email all these schools and alert them of and explain my situation, but how much can proactivity really help me here? Like they have been the rest of my high school career, all of my other grades, including AP Calculus, have been up to par as either As or Bs. It’s just this one unorthodox AP class, and I really really hope I didn’t ruin my whole future with one grade in one semester. Advice anyone? Am I screwed?
I strongly recommend your immediately discuss this situation with your GC. It is my opinion that you need to be proactive, to get ahead of this situation, and probably to (with or through the GC) notify the applicable colleges (especially Pitt) very SOON. A senior mid-year F (particularly in AP English) can certainly result in revocation (although this is far from a certainty); of course, a GREAT deal depends on the university involved, the remainder of your secondary school record, and so forth. My overriding point is DO NOT wait for the school to receive your midyear report F and then to make inquires; rather, advise them, explain the circumstances, and make your case for retention. Your GC is the key ally in this effort.
I don’t think Pitt needs mid-year reports, so I think I’ll hold off from sending them anything. If I plead my case and get a D or C by the end of the year, how bad does it look for my acceptances? High chance or low chance of denial?
I would not worry as much, pull it up 2nd semester to a B and it shows that maybe a mistake happened first semester.
Well I calculated it and a 95 A in these last two terms will raise me to a mid-C, so I think a B is a bit out of reach, and that’s if I even get deferred rather than flat out denied.
At universities that don’t require the midyear report you’re fine as long as you pull it to a C (even C- will do) by the end of the year.
Have you seen your midyear report? What grade do you have, is that an F or a D? At top-tier or mid-tier universities that require the midyear report, a D or F can lead to denial and if you were admitted EA somewhere it could lead to being rescinded, so for these schools follow what TopTier said.
It sounds like this class is good preparation for college - where you will not get a lot of grades and where missing or slacking on just one assignement can result in a bad semester grade. Better you learn that lesson now, than later…