I’m a high school senior and currently I have a D in precalculus on my transcript. It is bringing my GPA down. It is the only D I’ve gotten throughout school although my GPA has been pretty consistent with As and Bs. I do not plan on studying math in college but I am wondering if this will hurt my chances. I have been really struggling with the class and I will contact a tutor. I am wondering what my chances are at these schools are with my current academic year grades.
Connecticut College (deferred)- probably because of that precalculus grade
Wheaton College (MA) (applied)- I have a slightly better chance at this school but I am nervous about how they will view my transcript.
Roger Williams University (applied)
Sarah Lawrence College (will apply)
Stonehill College (will apply)
University of Rhode Island (will apply)
Rhode Island College (will apply)
I am nervous about my transcript and all these schools range from being moderately to more selective. Will one D hurt my chances at these schools?
Most colleges say they expect students to continue with the same academic performance they had shown with their grades up thru junior year or they risk being rescinded. Some explicitly say that they can rescind for any grade below a C, although it isn’t automatic. For schools that ask for transcripts after the end of your 1st semester senior year, they may change their decision to deny for a D. So the answer is yes, the D hurts your chances.
There is a silver lining here you may be missing. You are discovering that there is something wrong with how you study. It could be not spending enough time, or not doing the right things when you study, or both. Math is the early sign for most HS students, as I suspect it is here for you.
As for time, in a college math/science class many students spend 5-10 hours per week on each class. HS is slower paced, but still requires time & effort.
Many HS students, often in fact the better students, have never learned to study effectively and just get by on native smarts. After they go over the material a few times it seems familiar and they think they “know” it, confusing recognition with recall. Usually they remember enough for the test and their verbal skills let them pad out essays, but on math tests they find out they can’t recall enough to solve many problems.
In college this cursory study approach won’t work even in subjects where it was enough back in HS, since (1) the expectations will be higher (2) questions on tests more challenging. It is not unusual for solid HS students to find themselves with mostly C’s or even on probation after their 1st college semester. Even if they avoid math & science. This is why colleges take D’s seriously in HS, it shows the student may not be ready for college-level work.
Your grade here is giving you notice & time to develop better study skills before college when it is for keeps, if only you take advantage of it. Let me recommend the book “Make it Stick” that discusses what research has shown about learning, along with plenty of explicit suggestions for HS and college students.