So my husband was injured during a deployment while we were stationed in Germany. He got medically discharged which meant we left Germany mid year, 1 month before semester ended. Most of the teachers worked with my distraught kid but not his English teacher and he failed English 1 first semester. Since then he has had straight As, weighted GPA as Junior is 4.26 and all his classes this year and next are weighted. Prob looking at a 33, 34 ACT
Will that one F doom him for an acceptance to a T30 school?
All your S can do is control what he can control…continue to get good grades and score well on the ACT.
Make sure his current GC fully understands the situation (via a discussion and/or brag sheet) so that they can address the situation and the F in their recommendation letter.
Edited to add: will your S meet the current HS’s grad requirements with the F in English 1?
It’s not T30, but my D16 got into Penn State, University Park with an F on her record. She had taken strong classes so her weighted GPA was still fairly high and a 1440 on the SAT. Best of luck to your son and I hope your husband has successfully recovered.
I guess my question becomes- are we wasting application fees and effort chasing a dream out of reach? He is thinking:
JHU is #1 dream
GW
UF (we are in Florida)
Emory
Duke
Swarthmore
Tufts
UW
No one really knows, but I don’t think the F will be the reason he isn’t accepted to a given school, especially since he retook the course with an A. With that said, how the GC covers the situation and grade will be important.
It’s tough to make school recommendations as we don’t know his classes and their rigor, or his essays, LoRs, ECs.
What is his unweighted GPA, core courses only on a 4 point scale?
All BS/MD programs will be reaches…will he have adequate patient facing experience, either via volunteering or a real job? Shadowing? Research? Getting his ACT higher than 33 would be beneficial for those programs.
Budget?
Make sure he is demonstrating interest at the schools on his list that consider it.
Strive for a balanced list that includes a handful of target/matches and at least one affordable safety.
His unweighted GPA is 3.87 but should be rising given he is on track for all As in his DE classes this semester (Most of them point heavy enough he couldn’t drop to a B at all).
I would say his classes are all rigorous- he is taking within the next 2 years: Bio 1 and 2 and their labs, Chem 1 and 2, Physics 1, College Alg, Trig, PreCal, and Calc w Analytical Geo, Comp 1 and 2 Honors, Honors Macro, Honors Ethics, Intermediate French 1 and 2, and Honors Speech. At the high school he had Eng 1 and 2 Honors, Geometry Honors, Alg 2 Honors, French 1 and 2, Bio Honors, Chem Honors, and AP world history (he haaaates AP classes).
ECs are:
Volunteering at hospital 4 hours week
-Research internship with USF and cancer center- 6 hours a week, commutes 1 hour one way to reach it
Medical Explorers at All Children’s JH
Mu Thera Alpha
-Key Club
NHS
-Phi Theta Kappa
Band for 2 years (left this year due to EC program)
worked for dog groomers 2 summers
camp counselor/tutor coming up for city’s school break science camp
will begin shadowing after Thanksgiving
-Class Representative
Budget is fairly flexible given GI bill is his and he is Native American with generous tribal support for education.
His LORS will be from:
His Math teacher
His counselor
His supervising professor for his research
And he is a pretty amazing writing as he loves reading and writing- which is why that F becomes doubly painful.
Congratulations on his achievements, and he sounds like a great kid.
You can’t do anything about the F, so try to let the anxiety go…just make sure the GC knows the situation and covers it adequately.
The additional context is very helpful…his grades, rigor and content look good. Being a high achieving Native American will be a hook at all schools, I expect he is going to have some good options. Does he have a tribal number/CDIB?
It looks like he is doing the right ECs for BS/MD programs, but those are all reaches…most have single digit acceptance rates, even the ones at undergrad schools that aren’t normally very selective. And squeaking out another point, or two, on the ACT would be helpful for these programs. There are helpful BS/MD threads on CC, so take a look at those.
It seems you have already zeroed in on some schools that are seeking Native Americans in a more organized manner, like GW and Duke. Maybe also consider Dartmouth (who has an Indigenous Fly-In Program in the fall) and Northwestern too.
Don’t underestimate the power of URM. Being a native american with a tribal identity card, along with a GI father will make for a compelling case. Just make sure the guidance counselor explains the F in the letter. I don’t think it will be an issue, honestly.
Your son looks like he will be setup for some acceptances. Which BS/MD programs is he interested in? Also if ultimate goal is med school, then I would avoid JHU, due to grade deflation. For med school he will need a 3.7+ to be competitive.
Your son sounds fabulous, and the story concerning the F is very compelling. He’s going to get into some wonderful schools. If he and his GC present the situation clearly and honestly, and a school rejects him, at some point, you just have to say “it’s their loss”.