<p>I recently received a C as the final grade in my IB Math Methods (it's like Calculus) class and I'm really concerned. I loveeee Columbia and I'm definitely applying ED, but I want to know if that grade will ruin my chances. Right now, I have a 3.9 uw and a 4.8 weighted (from the all of the IB classes and extra college classes I take at night) so statistically speaking, I don't think my GPA is that bad. However, I'm very worried about what they'll think of my transcript. I received straight As my freshman and sophomore years, but I got a few Bs and that awful C junior year. I hate to blame this grade on the teacher, but even my guidance counselor knows about this teacher's horrible reputation and she'll be writing something about my C in her letter for me. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Dude, how could you have got a C in Methods? Lucky you're not doing specialist....</p>
<p>(Which unit was it anyway?)</p>
<p>What do you mean by unit? And seriously, do I have a chance with Columbia?</p>
<p>Okay, you got a C in Methods... how'd you go in English? </p>
<p>What sort of things did you cover in your Methods unit?</p>
<p>Haha, very funny. I didn't know if "unit" referred to something different in Australia. My class always referred to "units" as subjects. We did mostly Calculus the entire year. It was a really difficult class because the teacher was absolutely horrible. I am an excellent math student and for me to receive a C in the class shocked not only me, but also my guidance counselor. I'm still very upset over the whole ordeal.</p>
<p>Okay, honestly, I've had horrible teachers half the time. To succeed in any subject, DO NOT rely on the teacher. And I would think this is even more pertinent in college. You must be able to do independent study without someone holding your hand. </p>
<p>In junior but moreso senior year, I almost never even listened to horrible maths teachers - I'd just go through the textbook. It's all you need.</p>
<p>Also discuss with classmates if you have issues. You may be excellent at maths, but not as a math STUDENT, which clearly shows because you haven't been 'studious'.</p>
<p>Calculus isn't that hard either... It also means nothing to say who got shocked about what - it's irrelevant.</p>
<p>I think if you showed a marked improvement in your math grades, or did really good on the SAT subject tests for math you might get some sort of concession. I'm still surprised you got a C in Methods and am again glad that you didn't do Specialist! :P</p>
<p>I went to several different sources for assistance, but nothing could really help my situation. I spent hours on my own teaching myself the material, but our tests were ridiculous (the average grade on one of them was something like a 27%). She refused to drop/curve any grades, it was awful. Oh well, I'm done with that class and done with her so I'd like to do as much as I can to improve my chances for Columbia from here on. I'll be taking the SAT Math II in October and I expect 750+. From what you've said, I'm thinking/hoping that'll help me. Anyone else have words of wisdom for me? I just wanna know if that C is killing my chances or what?</p>
<p>One C won't kill you. If you've been getting awesome in math in general and all of a sudden you have this C, I'm sure they'll see the underlying thread of As etc...</p>
<p>Apply to Columbia, you have NO chance if you don't apply.</p>
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I hate to blame this grade on the teacher
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<p>You do?</p>
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but even my guidance counselor knows about this teacher's horrible reputation
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<p>Guess you don't hate to blame the teacher.</p>
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and she'll be writing something about my C in her letter for me.
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<p>What's she going to write -- that the teacher wasn't a ****ty teacher for all the kids that got A's?</p>
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It was a really difficult class because the teacher was absolutely horrible. I am an excellent math student and for me to receive a C in the class shocked not only me, but also my guidance counselor. I'm still very upset over the whole ordeal.
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<p>Again you blame the teacher. You likely aren't an excellent math student if you got a C in any math class, let alone a B.</p>
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I got a few Bs and that awful C junior year.
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<p>The C may not be the only problem; downward grade trend and a potential inability to handle harder material may be the greater issue.</p>
<p>Pretty much what I said... hehe...</p>
<p>a 5 on an AP exam (or whatever the equivalent is on an IB) is probably a decent way to mitigate a tough-luck grade. at least, i had to bank on that a few times. there are plenty of people at columbia who had Bs (hell, I had a C+ in honors sophomore french, and i think a B- in biology). But I proved I knew the material in other ways (like getting 5s on the APs).</p>
<p>i think making excuses isn't a good way to start, though. at least be honest with yourself about why you got a C. It's one thing to complain about english teachers who give A-'s to essays they agree with, but B+s to essays they dislike; it's something very different to complain about a grade in a freakin math class. Either you had the right answer or you didn't. It's pretty deterministic. One of the nice things about math, really (even if I am biased). </p>
<p>So let's be frank here... if the other students in the class could get the right answers on the math test, and you couldn't, whose fault is that? Or if you're trying to tell me that grades in a math class were based on something other than homework and tests, both involving math problems, then I think we'd all enjoy a good explanation.</p>
<p>edit:
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You likely aren't an excellent math student if you got a C in any math class, let alone a B.
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you likely aren't a good armchair critic of transcripts if you mis-state turns of phrase and give emphasis to the wrong thing :-P</p>
<p>all in good fun,
D</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. I get my IB exam excores in July and a good score will make me feel a lot better.</p>
<p>Good luck, champ!</p>
<p>I have a question. DID anyone get an A in this math class? If not, then you wouldn't look as bad to anyone who would be aware of the context. As you can tell, however, w/out context you just seem to be making excuses. Everybody in this thread seems to be discounting the possibility of a teacher who likes to put trick questions on tests, grade in strange ways, etc. Math is, of course, a one-answer business... if you can figure out wt* the question is asking! But without more explanation, nobody's going to think that's what happened. It will all be on you. And if somebody else DID get As (and if you were able to figure out who), you should have gotten together with them to study.</p>
<p>I'd say maybe 2-3 students out of 27 got As in this class. I accredit these kinds of numbers to our ridiculous tests & quizzes with average scores often in the D and F range. So yeah, I guess it's good to know the context of my situation. It makes me seem a little less pathetic.</p>
<p>Dude. I'm really of these "OMGZ MY GPA SUCKS ITS A 3.999 I CANT GET IT NOW!" threads. GPA varies from school to school, remember? At my school, the average GPA accepted is something like a 4.4 weighted. AND honors classes are weighted, and students can only take one AP class when they're underclassmen. So that's something like a 3.65 unweighted. Which by MOST high school's standards would be bad, but it seems to work because those people get accepted into columbia... So check your school's naviance site before you worry about grades. </p>
<p><em>rant over</em></p>
<p>and yeah...no offense but, IB math tends to be kind of easy. I had an A in methods this year as well when my teacher was horrible as well and only three people out of thirty-one had an A. So...you can't really blame it on the teacher.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input, Tessa.</p>
<p>I think we learnt more about your achievements than anything relevant to this topic.</p>
<p>Wow...I'm really sorry. My friend was on my computer and she used my CC account. I really sounded like a rude person on those last 2 posts...but they weren't me I promise! I had no idea my friend was going on my CC account
:(<br>
If you don't believe me, then don't, but I feel really bad misspriss, because I didn't say those things! So please don't be mad at me!</p>
<p>hey, i got multiple C's. A single C won't keep you out.</p>