@siriusisalive -Congrats on your Stanford acceptance! I think your best bet is to make every effort to boost those C’s (e.g, after-school help from your teacher, paid tutoring or free peer tutoring, utilizing online resources as available). Then write to your Stanford admissions rep to explain that you’re struggling a bit in two demanding classes but you’re certainly not slacking. (And list whatever measures you’ve taken to stay afloat.) As long as the admission folks see that you are still working hard, it’s highly unlikely that your acceptance will be rescinded. But don’t surprise them with the C’s in July!
@otoribashi -Sorry. Missed your question when you posted it. This is a clear-cut case of something you need to ask the college. Why risk getting an acceptance rescinded? If you have a good reason for wanting to drop the course (e.g., the materials aren’t clearly presented or you’re already over-scheduled), be sure to say so. But dumping a class that you’ve already told admission officers you’ll be taking is always a bad idea unless you get the green light first!
@Sally_Rubenstone Hello, I am a little stressed out about my first semester grades. I have gotten into 4 Texas schools (St.Edwards, University of Houston, Austin College, University of Texas Dallas) but this semester I have had a really hard time and it looks like I will end up with 3 Ds in my classes. I was previously a B, C student when I applied. Should I be concerned about my acceptances being revoked? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
@kevinstopit -Unfortunately, you do need to be worried. If you have a good reason for this downturn (i.e., pretty much anything besides slacking), you should contact each admission office and explain. For instance, if there have been problems at home or if you simply took an overly rigorous course load or you’re working too many hours at a job, you need to say this to admission officials NOW and then promise to do better in the next semester.
If these D’s are just semester grades and not final grades, hopefully you can pull them up before graduation. If your final grades are stronger, you shouldn’t have a problem. But some colleges will rescind for even ONE final D, so you could be in very hot water with three of them. Good luck!
@Sally_Rubenstone hi, I could potentially end with 2 C’s for my semester grades
GPA before this year
Weighted 5.2/6. 3.45/4
AP economics (A)
Honors world cultures (A)
AP Calc (potential C)
AP physics 1 (1% away from B)
Regular/ACC English (B dropped AP)
AP stat (B)
I’m a math major and I applied to
Rutgers (accepted)
Georgian Court (accepted)
TCNJ
Maryland college park
Rowan
Monmouth
Will 2 C’s foe semester grades get me rescinded?
Most if not all schools won’t see them until after application deadlines
Thank you so much
@Sally_Rubenstone Hi, I was recently admitted to Boston University’s College of General Studies by Early Decision. How low do one’s grades need to be for the admissions to revoke/rescind my acceptance?
@Sally_Rubenstone I also might end my first semester with an A- on Honors Physics, B- in AP Gov, C in AP Psych, a C+ in Adv Calc, B in Honors English. Is this bad?
@Basketball080 -I don’t think that those schools would rescind for 2 C’s in tough classes for FINAL grades, especially with your rigorous load, and colleges don’t really care about SEMESTER grades unless there’s a real flag there (i.e, mostly D’s and F’s). If you do end up with 2 C’s at the end of the year, be proactive and write to the admission office at the college you plan to attend and just explain that you were very challenged by these courses and didn’t do as well as you’d hoped even though you worked hard. You should also go to the teacher for extra help or take other measures to raise your grade that you can cite in your note to admission officials. But at this point, I don’t see you as being in jeopardy.
@student697832 -It’s hard to evaluate these grades out of context, without knowing more about you, but as I just said to @Basketball080, I don’t see a college rescinding for 2 C’s and, especially not for SEMESTER grades. I think you’re fine.
@Sally_Rubenstone as an usually A student, can I be rescinded from NYU Stern for senior grades of 2 Cs, 2 Bs, and 4 As?
@pokemon1 -You might get a warning letter with 2 C’s if you applied with all A’s (or mostly A’s) but I doubt anything worse would happen.
@Sally_Rubenstone I’ve gotten accepted via EA for MIT, similar to the situation one of the other posters here. It’s highly likely I’m going to get a C in AP Physics C 1st semester (and perhaps the next). I am a straight A student, and every other grade seems to be an A for this semester, except for Physics. I’m planning to get tutored for the second semester, but at this point, my grade is not secure at all (we started 2nd semester right after Thanksgiving Break). I have had no previous physics background, so the class was a bit tough for me. I’m going to try even harder for the second semester, but will MIT rescind me if I end up with a C in physics for both semester and final grades?
@Sally_Rubenstone I am hoping to make a B or A during the 2nd semester. I’m just scared for the worst case scenario.
@Sally_Rubenstone thank you so much for your reply!
@StressAsASenior -You should be fine. Get the tutoring so you will have some “proof” that you weren’t slacking. And if you do end up with a C in June, write MIT to explain BEFORE they contact you about it (which they may not do anyway).
@Sally_Rubenstone Thanks for the advice! Do I also need to contact them first about my midyear grades as well before I need to submit the official report?
@StressAsASenior -No need to make contact about a midterm grade unless it were to drop below a C.
Dear Sally Rubenstone, I’ve been reading through some earlier posts on this long thread, but I don’t really feel like I’m clear on the consequences of a HS senior getting a D in the first semester of senior year. You’ve flagged this as a very serious problem, but at the same time, there seem to be few instances of actual recision of admission.
Just briefly, here’s the situation: my daughter is an A/B student, but has long struggled with math. This semester she is looking at all As in her classes, but a possible C or, less likely but NOT impossible, a D in her AP Stat class. This is not for lack of effort. She is actually quite good at stat and has a very competent tutor. Unfortunately, her teacher is of the type that feels he’d like to prove that some students don’t belong in the class (he has said as much), and does a poor job matching instruction to assessment because he claims students need to be able to figure out materials themselves. Please note that I am not into blaming teachers; I am a higher ed instructor myself. She has gotten a few low grades before and I understood that it was due to her own failure of understanding or effort. This case is different. So my question: If she gets a D this semester, but can get to a different teacher in the second semester and bring up the grade to at least a B, is she at risk of having her offers rescinded? (She’s been accepted to high second-tier schools mostly.) Thank you.
@Sally_Rubenstone , i posted earlier, but my daughter ended up with a C in the college Algebra class she took, but has several RD reach schools pending. She has a letter drafted to put in her common app to talk about this grade and her weakness in math. Can I send you a PM asking for your advice on this letter, or post it?
@sdl0625 -Sure, send the PM. I’m on the road today so may not answer till tomorrow but will try to get to it tonight.