@offtocollege2016 -UC schools won’t rescind for a C if your cumulative GPA remains above a B.
@Sally_Rubenstone I was worried about the gpa drop? I will still have as and bs I’m just worried pitt will be worried about the gpa drop…do you think I should be worried?
@worldhistory66 -Colleges don’t like to rescind acceptances so if you are able to pull up your grades as you expect, you SHOULD be okay, though I don’t have a crystal ball. If family issues continue to torpedo your high school performance, I urge you to talk to your school counselor about this so that you’ll be on the record as having these problems and your counselor may be able to intercede on your behalf if you don’t make the grades you’re aiming for.
Hi, Sally!
I am a Senior in a well-regarded HS (ranked around 300 in usnwr). I have a 3.5UW GPA and was accepted to Rutgers-NB, Indiana-Bloomington and Purdue-West Lafayette.I have two D’s one Pre-calc and the other in Honors Physics(possibly lower:'m not feeling confident about my Midterm score). With my mid-year reports being sent out, I was wondering if two D’s will yield in my acceptances being rescinded. Physics has been very difficult for me and getting help from my teacher has been ineffective however, for Pre-calc I feel that I can salvage a C for my final grade. Additionally, will these D’s impact the decisions of Syracuse, Boston U, UConn and Ohio State?
I apologize for the multiple inquires but I am very worried abut of getting my admissions rescinded. Your input is greatly appreciated!
@Batron34 -I suggest that you contact the colleges that have accepted you already and try to explain the low grades and what you are doing to pull them up. With two D’s, you are definitely at risk for rescinded acceptances. The low grades could also have an impact on the decisions that are still pending. You can also be proactive here and try to convince admission officials that you are working hard and not suffering from senioritis but that you have simply run into a buzzsaw after taking classes that are very challenging for you. (If your intended major has nothing to do with math or science, be sure to say so!).
Some admission folks should be sympathetic but others might not be. Keep your fingers crossed that the sympathetic ones are in charge … and good luck.
Hi, sorry if this question sounds really stupid but once I heard an admissions counselor at W&M they said that “there are only two C’s in Calculus” to remind kids that the lowest grades can drop are to two C’s after offers go out. But does this mean two C’s in second semester or for the overall grade? Like if in a class I got an A first semester and a C second semester but averaged a B, does that count as a C?
@ref1ections -I think that the W&M admissions officer was saying that if a final report card includes anything worse than 2 C’s (in two separate classes) then a student may be in trouble. But getting a B as your final Calc grade, after earning an A and a C in the two semesters, will not have any negative impact.
Thanks Sally, your response is much appreciated. I’m going to meet with my GC tomorrow and send off those letters ASAP. I’m doing well in my three AP classes- two B’s and an A. Fortunately, my intended major has nothing to do with math or science #:-S .
@Sally_Rubenstone Okay good to know, thanks for the response!
Let’s see…getting arrested, committing a crime, failing your classes, lying on your application…
I was accepted into WUSTL through early decision. Could low IB scores result in my acceptance being rescinded?
@cottoneyejoe -It depends on how low. Scores that are slightly below the predictions will have no impact. But if the exam results across the board suggest that you did little work in the second half of your senior year, you might be in hot water.
Hello Dean Rubenstone,
I’m aiming for a UC (specifically UCSD or UCLA for computer science) and I was wondering, in the case I’m accepted, if I would be rescinded for a lower grade in 2 classes?
My first semester grades were 5 A’s (English, AP Calc BC, AP Studio Art, AP CompSci, Economics), and a B in AP Physics C Mechanics, but in my second semester I might end up with a C in Physics C Electromagnetic and a B in AP Calc BC. I’ve never gotten a B in a maths class before, which is why this worries me, and I’m overall worried for the C in AP Physics C, though I’ve never gotten an A in physics (I took AP Physics 1 last year) before so my transcript would have demonstrated overall, it has never been a strong suit for me.
I’m fairly certain I can bring my grade in Calc up to an A but worst case scenario 4 A’s, 1B, 1C and good case 5A’s and a C?
@perdel - The UC’s will rescind for a grade BELOW a C but not if you get a C in AP Physics. And a B in math is not a problem in the least. Even your “worst case scenario” will not cause you to lose a spot that has been offered to you.
Hi, Dean Ruberstone,
I am a senior in California and has accepted to UT Austin, U of Wisconsin, Madison, and U of Illinois - Urbana Champaign. I am also waiting for private school results including Bradeis, Babson, and USC.
Because of my family crises, I received 4 Cs in first semester and I used to have As and Bs in my high school classes. My school counselor wrote a note for my situation while she sent the mid-year report to private colleges and I am planning to ask my counselor again to send a note to explain my situation. Is this grade drop will cause my admission to be rescinded? If it is, what should I do to prevent that? Also, is my chance of other private colleges will drop?
Thank you and have a nice day.
@cckrie-If colleges accepted you before they got your mid-year report, it’s possible that you might get an acceptance revoked due to all of those C’s. But if your counselor adequately explained your family crises, you’ll probably be okay. Colleges really don’t like to rescind acceptances. It may also depend on how serious your family problems were. For instance, death, grave illness, divorce, etc. will be viewed differently than, “His mother broke her ankle so he had to spend extra time taking care of his little brother.” Good luck!
Thank you for your answer. My family crises were death of my grand father and diagnose risk of having another cancer from my mom. Do you think these are reasonable reasons?
@cckrie-I’m sorry for the loss of your grandfather and for your mom’s health issues. If your counselor makes a compelling case on your behalf, you will probably not get existing acceptances revoked, but the C’s MIGHT affect NEW decisions that haven’t been made yet. At colleges where you were already a borderline applicant, the C’s will probably hurt, but at the places where you had initially been a strong candidate, you may be fine. You’ll just have to get a little lucky. All admission officers do not think alike. Not even close. So some admission officers will be understanding of your circumstances while some may shrug and say, “Other kids have problems and don’t let their grades fall so far.”
Hello Sally, I have just recently been accepted to University at Buffalo a SUNY school and 3 Cuny schools. They accepted me without looking at my mid year grades. I did very poorly in math coming really close to failing, although that was the case my overall GPA still improved. The class was tough for me because I have had not the best relationship with the teacher. This has been the case for my whole high school, the math department is not the best, many times resulting in subs teaching classes and even random grades given out. I have addressed the past problems to colleges however this new bad showing is scary since I don’t want them to think it is an excuse. I was wondering if I should bring it up with public colleges that have accepted me or not bring it up at all. Also, should I contact the schools that have not yet made a decision to give them a heads up?
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it a lot.
You can send the same note to all of your colleges … the ones that admitted you and the ones with pending decisions. Keep it brief and explain that you were disappointed with your math grade but that you want to assure them that it’s not due to lack of effort. Don’t mention the bad relationship with your current teacher. That could come off as whiny. But it’s fine to say that you have a weak background in math due to many classes being taught by subs and a lack of cohesiveness in the high school math department. So you just want to assure the colleges that you ARE paying attention and working hard and you aren’t slacking off, as evidenced by the rise in all your other grades. You might also want to mention that you plan to strengthen your math skills in college. You should be fine.