Will A C+ Hurt me Senior Year First Semester???

Hello, so I’m a recruited athlete with academic stats that don’t match up to most of the students to the school that I’m being recruited by, which is Northeastern University. I was wondering if one C+ would hurt my application, despite me being one of, if not the most prioritized athlete on the coaches list of athletes. This is my only C so far this senior year, and is in an honors class (honors Pre-Calc). Math hasn’t been my strongest subject and I got a C+ last year for second semester (and B- for first semester) which was my only C grade for last year as well. So will this C+ destroy me if I’m a recruited athlete and the coach has pretty much called me and my family saying that they’re sure I should get in with the coaches help (before seeing the C+). Northeastern is my top choice so I want to know what you guys might think and if you know of people who have gotten a C+ and what happened to them.


This is my profile…

Honors Pre-Calc 40: C+
AP Environmental Science 30: B-
Disease and Medicine 21: A
Spanish 51: A
Honors Philosophy 30:A
English 41: B+

Hooks - Recruited Athlete, Institutional Legacy, Strong Upward trend (By Year: 2.9, 3.25, 3.46, 3.62), URM (African-American).


I doubt it would be detrimental, especially because you got a C+ last year as well and your other grades this year clearly prove you are not slacking off.

I was worried I wouldn’t get into my top choice school because I got my first ever C+ first semester senior year in AP Bio, but it turned out to be completely fine and I got in! Colleges understand that you aren’t going to be perfect in every subject. I wouldn’t sweat it and would just focus as much as you can to try to improve!

Have you already been accepted EA/ED? With LL? It may depend on your sport…

@tonymom No, I am applying RD. He said that I’ll be signing the NLI in the upcoming week or weeks.
@19171998biology Thanks for the response, very insightful! Glad to hear that you still got into your time choice!

Most D1 schools, even those that are more selective for admissions generally like Stanford and Duke and Notre Dame, relax the admissions requirements a little for athletes. I don’t think a few C’s will hurt. You are still well above the NCAA minimums.

The schools do have their own standards and a few have failed to admit some athletes, but for the most part, the coaches are granted much deference to form the teams. The coaches want good students because the sports require so much time, but they want good students who can run fast, swim fast, throw fast. Depending on the sport, you will either sign the NLI in Feb or in April. Good luck.