Ok so I’m a sophomore here at Duke university. Needless to say, I do love the school and my classes are lit- but boy are they HARD! Like, no on on campus likes to talk about it (to be real, I’m only mentioning it due to the anonymity of this site) but really and truly classes are hard. I’m a math major, and for the first time ever I’m looking at potentially pulling my first C in a class, along side one or two Bs and (hopefully) an A. As someone who straight up pulled all As in high school, the thought of this terrifies me. But it makes me want to check in an ask- is it abnormal to pull a C at a top college/university? And similarly, are Bs bad grades at a school like Duke? My hope is to end up with a 3.7 GPA (I’ve got a 3.4 right now, but that will probably go down after this semester a few points)- is there still hope of achieving a 3.7 GPA? I’ve heard many of the early classes at Duke are weed-out style in the fact that they’re quite difficult for underclassman but get better the higher into the field you go. Thus, is it easier to get better grades in the higher level courses at Duke? Honestly, any advice would be much appreciated.
It really depends on your major. An A- average (3.7) is definitely respectable.
How about for Math majors? I’m a math major and high-key nervous.
Haha, anything above a 3.4-3.5 is decent. Anything lower than that isn’t the end of the world. Just do your best! You can also make yourself a more compelling job applicant by working on projects outside the classroom.
It’s part of the transition from high school to college. Certainly, 3.7 is where a lot of grad school admissions and work employers like to see. Some of the 100 level classes like MATH111L and ECON101 are intended to be weeder classes, so it should not be a big surprise.
I’m a current Pratt senior and took all of the prereq math classes - Math 212, 216, 353 and 230 required for any engineering degree. I also came into Duke with almost straight A’s from high school, but learned that I wasn’t a superhuman like I thought I was 
Don’t worry about a shortfall - it definitely averages out in the long run.
@MCurie Im a mom of an ED applicant, not a student. But I want to make some suggestions to possibly help you. I don’t think you should be worried or embarrassed about asking for help. Please consider reaching out to your professors to meet and discuss what you could do to improve your grade. Most enjoy heaaring from their students for feedback and also so they have an opportunity to make a difference with a student who needs/wants more. (Some even consider whether a student attends office hours in their grading.)
The website says that Duke’s advising office has peer advisors in addition to the College Advisor that is assigned to help you create your class scedule. You might want to make an appt with a peer advisor, especially one that is a math major, like Katie or Maria (https://advising.duke.edu/network/peer-advisors ).
People on this forum can’t help nearly as much as the real people at Duke. I hope you look into the Campus resources that are meant to support you! I hope you post back if you do - your first-person experience might help a future student find the help they need to manage grade anxiety or some other stress.
As a mom of a high achieving high school student, I wanted to try to help you. You are very bright or you would not be at Duke. However, you are surrounded by extremely smart students possibly for the first time. Don’t hide on a message board - have confidence in your mind and abilities, work hard, and keep learning. Talk to your professor and peers. You do not have to be perfect (no one is) to have a very enriching college education!
Good luck to you!
@doublepenguin thank you so much!!!
@LuvsLabs I really appreciate your post! Thank you so much for the encouraging words- I will definitely try and stop shying away from getting help at Duke. I do see some of the peer advisors actually (They are INCREDIBLE and I would not be surviving without them!) but I definitely have been nervous about going to office hours- I will try and switch that up come next semester for sure. Plus, your kind words really help a lot especially since it’s finals season and the press is on! Good luck to your kid too by the way! If she ends up getting into Duke, feel free to DM me! I’d love to help if I can/talk about how to navigate Duke!
@newtrueblue thanks so much! I really appreciate the advice! So glad to hear things even out in the end. Thanks!
@JenniferClint Thank you so much for the advice!