Hi everyone,
I’m currently a senior in high school who will be majoring in graphic design…if I get my high school diploma.
So far for the past two semesters, I have gotten a B in AP Lit, one A-'s and A’s…and one F for Calculus Honors. In the previous years, I have gotten a C+ in Algebra 2 Honors and a B in regular Trig/Precalc class…
My teachers in the previous years have been high school only teachers, but this year she also teaches middle school kids. Don’t get me wrong. I study a lot, review review and review, go to her for extra help after school she offers to everyone in class, and pay attention in class. I do not think I am practicing wrong problems or solutions of the problems because I re-do the ones I go to her for extra help on. It’s strange how I mess up so badly on the tests…It’s frustrating because no matter how much time I put into raising my grade, nothing gets better…
Anyways… my question is…will that one F in Calculus Honors affect my chances in getting to art schools like SVA, RIT, RISD (I gave up on this one…although they loved my portfolio and said I had a lot of potential…), or SAIC? I know art schools aren’t just portfolio oriented and RISD especially has a very strict GPA system and totally different calculations of my GPA, but instead of failing calculus to the end should I drop out, get a GED then apply? I am so confused and I’m about to just burst into tears everytime I think about it…please help. TT_TT
Oh and my GPA is 3.72 so far…without the senior year semester grades…
Don’t drop out of high school that option should never even have crossed your mind.
Please do not drop out of highschool. Do you very best until the end, and show them you did not give up. Since you will major in graphic design, make your portfolio extraordinarily fantastic and keep a positive outlook. Just avoid the F, and you will end up someplace. Don’t give up!
Under no circumstances should you drop out of HS. You should speak with your counselor to get some insight into what to do next. You may still be admitted to the programs, so all is not lost. Even if you were to be denied admission, there is always a way to ask for a review and perhaps a chance to explain. Worst case scenario? You attend community college to begin taking general ed courses, get your GPA up, and apply as a transfer student.
nonono you’re a SENIOR! You’re almost done!
even if you don’t get in anywhere, as the poster above me said, there are programs (in CA it’s called TAG) where you go to community college and then, if you keep your required GPA and work with your counselor, you go to either a UC or other state school!! guaranteed! and you still get a degree from the 4-year university!
don’t drop out! get ready for prom and being a second semester senior 
What are you crazy? DO NOT DROP OUT!!!. Instead drop Calculus Honors. Most schools don’t even require Calculas to graduate High School! Or drop to regular Calculus. I don’t think a bad Calculus will lock you out of Art schools, but will hurt your overall GPA. Clearly, you are not good in math, so I would recommend you drop Calculus. Talk to your guidance counselor to see if you need Calculus to graduate. I would bet you don’t.
I hope you are not serious. Truly. You are a senior. You flunked 1 class… you’ll be okay. You may not get into the top art school in the country, but there are others out there that don’t have such high admissions criteria. Just because you failed 1 class does not make you a failure. I understand that you’re concerned about your grades, as you should be, but you need to be mature. You can drop a class or get tutoring, but dropping out would ruin any chance at any school obviously.
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What? You have an above average GPA…better than mine, and I was accepted into plenty of colleges.
Let me tell you how much art school cares about math. I just graduated from SCAD 1 year early, with a 3.5 gpa. They required that I take ONE math course the entire time I was there, and we spent the whole 10 weeks covering BASIC algebra. I think slope may have been on final exam. Architecture was the only major who had to take real math (calculus may be beyond what they call ‘real’ math) SCAD is on about the same level academic wise as your schools. I graduated high school with a 3.4? 28 act and a good portfolio, got a hefty scholarship. I took ap and honor courses and got Cs and Bs, got a D in honors chemistry, and a C in honors geometry, and B in algebra 2 basic. They don’t care, is my point.
Applying from GED is going to be a disaster, just apply, and if you have to take summer school so be it. Talk to counselor and teacher and politely ask if you can do anything to get at least a passing grade (and by anything I dont mean sexual favors)
I dropped out in 8th, 9th, most of my 11th grade classes, and finally in 12th grade. I’m just not a public HS type of person, some people aren’t. But I got all As and Bs even in honors classes and when I took the GED I scored in the 99th percentile, I applied to Ringling College of Art and Design and wrote a compelling essay about a personal turning point, and another one to explain my situation and how I had improved and was now ready for college, got 2 amazing teacher recommendations and was accepted. That was my path though.
Definitely don’t drop out because of one F, you’re other grades are very good and you’ve done so well so far, don’t just throw it all away or you’ll probably feel stupid later (I still worry what people think of me getting a GED) The only places art/design schools care about math is for Architecture and in Game Art and Computer Animation it’s more like a bonus. The schools will definitely appreciate you challenging yourself in your courses, but probably change out of calculus, if you can’t get another class you can probably take one online either at home or during that period.
*And for the record, applying with a GED would only be a “disaster” if you scored pathetically or were applying to a really prestigious college. and it definitely wouldn’t be a Disaster if you were applying to art school, where you’re portfolio makes up, like, 50% of your application.