Should I explain a B (89) in Q2 if my overall sem 1 is A?

Applying to College
1

Should I explain a Q2 B (89) but if my overall Sem 1 grades are all A? Freshman year
I have a 91 in PAP Geom in Q1 and 89 in PAP Geom Q2.

How much will that hurt? Currently after Semester 1 results are out my rank is 40/529 and I am trying to get that up, Q3 and Q4 are definitely way better so far.

Does it even show on the transcripts?

2

  1. Do not try to explain a B+ – you will come off like a grade grubber. And chances are you got a B+ because you earned a B+ (no shame in that)

  2. You need to ask your guidance counselor what is included on your transcript sent to colleges. Some schools just send final grades, some send everything.

  3. Hurt what? You are a freshman. You don’t have one full year of a GPA nor do you have any standardized test scores. Wait until mid-junior year, see where you are academically, have the money conversation with your parents and go from there.

  4. It is good to take school seriously and know college is in your future but IMO it is not healthy to be so focused on college at this point. HS should be an expereince in and of itself, a time of learning and growth – not just a 4 year college prep exercise.

  5. As I said on another one of your posts for now (and until junior year) your focus should be on:
    –Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage.
    –When the time comes study for standardized tests.
    –Continue your involvement in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
    –Enjoying spending time with your family and friends

3

I would not worry about it. Just try to do as well as you reasonably can from now on.

When one daughter got her B+, I said something like “that is fine, let’s get some ice cream”. Inside I was actually thrilled. She discovered that her friends were still her friends, her parents still loved her, and school went on. She was still a strong student. She did learn from the teacher’s explanation of what she could do better, and was able to pull up her grade in the same subject the following semester.

It is okay to be something other than perfect. It is also very normal.

That B+ never caused her any problems at all. I do not expect yours to either.