@SpiritedDisplay1 -Not ideal perhaps but not a big deal either. Please let this go. You won’t survive college if you’re this obsessive!
Hello Sally, I’m a little scared. Will I get rescinded from University of Illinois at Chicago? First semester senior year I had a B in AP computer science A but now I have a D. The rest of my grades have remained the same since first semester. Could I get rescinded? 
@Ohohimscared -If you had a B first semester and will get a D in the second semester, does that mean your final grade will be a C (or maybe C-)? If so, no worries.
If your FINAL grade will be a D, write to your admission rep NOW to explain the downturn. You’ll probably be okay with the D if you can explain why you struggled, but I wouldn’t wait till summer to address the issue if the D will be your FINAL grade in this class.
Hi Sally, I am worrying nonstop. I got into CSULB, however I received a D my first semester of senior year. I plan on taking the class over summer at my local community college to prove I do care and do not believe the D reflects my abilities as a student. I already emailed my admissions rep, and they told me it is evaluated case by case. Do you think they will rescind my acceptance? And if they do, would sending them my summer course transcript as a part of my appeal grant me admittance?
@laketahoe17 -While it certainly can’t hurt to send in a good grade from your summer class, the California public colleges officially claim that high school seniors who earn D’s or F’s cannot make up the bad grades during summer school. So, if you do so anyway, it will show good faith, but it won’t necessarily get you out of the hot water that a “D” grade in your senior year has put you in.
But, as you noted yourself, each situation is evaluated individually. So you should contact your CSULB admission official again and explain whatever efforts you made to do better than a D. In other words, if you struggled in the class so you sought out help after school from the teacher or tutoring (etc.) be sure to say so. If this class was above and beyond a required one and you challenged yourself by choosing it when you didn’t have to, be sure to point that out as well.
Imagine yourself as your own defense lawyer here. Just like you’ve probably seen on TV, defense lawyers try to show their clients in the best possible light. So too, you should prepare a “defense” that you send to CSU that shows that you weren’t slacking in this fall class but did poorly anyway. You can also point out your positive academic achievements from this past year (e.g., did you get good grades in some tough subjects?).
Since each case is reviewed individually, just make sure that yours is as strong as possible. Demonstrate that you do care about your schoolwork and that this one low grade really doesn’t reflect the student you are, and I think that your outcome will be favorable.
Let us know!
Sally, Thanks for helping all of us here. I received a letter from school where it is mentioned the current grade of mine in AP Calculus is D. Last semester (first semester of final year) was C-. All other subjects are As and Bs.
I am admitted to Indiana University - Kelley School of Business. I am wondering whether I am in big trouble. Please advise. Again, thanks for your help.
@hooligan01 -Sorry, but I’m confused by your post. You said, " I received a letter from school where it is mentioned the current grade of mine in AP Calculus is D." Which “school” wrote to you … your high school or Kelley? And if it was Kelley, what specifically did the letter say?
It seems quite early for colleges to be seeing current high school grades and responding to them. So I’m guessing that your letter is NOT from Kelley. But please explain in more detail about this letter–who sent it and exactly what it said. Thanks.
The letter is from high school. It is kind of notification to parents about failing grades.
@hooligan01 -Thanks for the speedy clarification. So your next step–as I’ve said many times already on this thread–is to write to your admission rep at IU and explain that you are worried that you may end up with a D in AP Calculus. BUT … only do this if the D will be your FINAL grade. Since you got a C- in the first semester, it sounds like you’ll end up with a D or a D+ for the year (which the colleges will still view as a D). But, before writing to IU, talk to your teacher and find out if you can wheedle a C- as a final grade. The admission folks will regard a C- differently than a D, and it’s unlikely they’ll take any action.
If, however, you are sure that you will get a D or D+ for the year, then write to IU now and explain why you are struggling. If you have taken measures to improve your grade, such as receiving extra help from the teacher or tutoring, be sure to say so. If there were other extenuating circumstances that affected your performance in this class (e.g., you missed a lot of school when you were ill and never quite caught up when you got back), then say this, too. College officials are typically more sympathetic when a student is proactive about a bad grade and seems to care about the grade rather than when the student seems to be ignoring the problem.
It’s possible that, should you receive a D for the year, IU may want you to retake the class over the summer, so it’s best to find out now. If you wait until IU receives your school transcript, it may be too late to sign up for the summer class.
Thanks Sally for your help. I’ll work on this.
Sally, BTW I did not mention that it is not a required a-g course. Not sure whether college care for that.
@hooligan01 – A college outside of CA probably won’t care if it’s an a-g class or not but, since it wasn’t required, you CAN mention when (or if) you write to IU that you challenged yourself by taking what you knew would be a really rigorous course although you didn’t HAVE to take it.
Because you’re going to be majoring in a business field, it’s likely that calculus will be required for you as an undergrad. So my best guess is that you can talk your way out of getting your acceptance rescinded but you’ll have to re-take calc in college (if not over the summer) if it’s mandatory for your major.
Are you taking the AP exam in Calc? If so, there’s always an outside chance that you’ll score well on the exam even if you get a bad grade in the class, although that doesn’t happen often with D’s in the class, which tend to show a lack of grasp of the material or suggest bad teaching … and neither will help you on the test!
Thank you so much !
@Sally_Rubenstone Just for updating my case. UCLA reviews and confirms that my admission decision stands. They even did not mention anything about the class I need to take for full IGETC such as I have to pass or I have to enroll. Only confirmed that my admission stands and the same provision contract.
Thanks a lot for your recommendation and instruction, especially helped me to get through the last two weeks without stress. Thank you.
@Bibihcmvn -Thanks for closing the loop on this. I’m glad that UCLA has kept the door open for you although it doesn’t surprise me. Even so, as we discussed in our private exchange, you will have a daunting schedule ahead of you. You certainly seem like someone who can handle challenges, and this will be a biggie! Best of luck.
Hi Sally! I really just want to be freed from this stress. I’ve been worrying nonstop about whether or not my acceptance will be rescinded or if I will get a warning letter. I was accepted to Georgetown University Regular Decision and was accepted into their School of Foreign Service. I’m pretty sure, outside of my grades and extracurricular activities, that I was accepted for my absolute passion for politics. I have always been very strong at English, History, and the related subjects, but have always struggled with math and science. First semester of Senior year, I received an A in Mandarin, AP Spanish, AP Lit. and Comp, AP Research, and an elective. I received a B in AP Stats and a C+ in AP Biology. Georgetown accepted me despite my C+ And I think it’s mainly because students at the SFS don’t really work with science in the way most students usually would and they don’t typically tend to be very fond of it either. However, this semester I struggled AGAIN and got another C+ in AP Biology. I feel like I’m really pushing it as these were my first C’s in high school and it looks like I’m slacking. Freshman year, I received a B+ in Biology Honors so I’m actually not surprised at my results in AP Bio. Please help me. Will my acceptance get rescinded?
I forgot to mention I will probably be majoring in International a Relations so my major has nothing to do with Science either.
Also, my grades this semester are identical to last semester!
@pianolover032817 -You have nothing to worry about. ?
@Sally_Rubenstone Thank you so much for a speedy reply! I can relax now :).