Should I drop a class or keep the awful grade on my transcript?

Applying to College
1

Hi all,

I am a competitive applicant applying to T20s, in my past my final grades have been 95+ for most of my classes. I’ve taken 12 AP courses so far and I’ve done well in all of them. I recently took a test before I learned the material in my AP Compsci A class and I ended up with a 45% which I’m not sure I will be able to raise above an 80% before the end of the marking period. Should I just drop the class to prevent the bad grade from being on my mid year report and ruining my perfect record? If I drop the course now, It will show up as Withdrawal Pass on my transcript. Or do colleges barely look at the mid-year report? I’ve already taken so many AP classes I feel like it won’t make a difference. Thanks to everyone who responds with advice.

2

If you are applying RD then they will look at your first semester grades. One non-A grade won’t keep you out of any school. But a very bad grade certainly won’t help you.

3

The really important question here, is why you weren’t ready to take that test. Meet with your teacher, and sort out what went wrong and why.

4

Unfortunately the teacher does not allow for test retakes or corrections