I recently did very, very poorly on my science test and chances are my grade won’t be stellar in the class for the first quarter report which will be sent to Harvard for early. My current high school transcript consists of entirely A’s and A-‘s and a few B+’s. If I get something like a C/C+/B- in my science this quarter will it/how much will it hurt my chances of admission?
There are many top colleges out there, so my first question is: Why Harvard? What does Harvard offer you that you cannot also find at Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst, Pomona, UChicago and about 30 other top schools?
Secondly, let’s do some math. Harvard Admissions is on record as saying that 80% of applicants can do the work on their campus, and fully 40% of them are top students with exemplarily credentials.
Now, last year almost 40,000 students applied to Harvard. If 40% of them are tippy-top students, that means 16,000 students are the best-of-the-best from across the country and around the world – truly stellar students with top grades, test scores, recommendations and essays. However, Harvard only has room for 1660 students in their freshman class, which means over 14,000 terrifically qualified students are rejected every year! I imagine many of those rejected students had straight’s A’s all through high school, while a few of the rejectee’s has one or two lower grades. Conversely, my guess is that not every accepted student had a perfect transcript!
The more realistic way to look at your question: YOU need to give Harvard MANY good reasons to admit you. As you can see by the above calculation, thousands of students with strong applications are rejected every year. If you are a strong applicant, except for that one C/C+/B- and have everything else Harvard wants (great ACT or SAT scores, interesting EC’s, thought provoking essays, stellar teacher recommendations which highlight your maturity, scholastic potential and strength of character, along with a very positive interview report) Harvard will NOT reject you for just that one low grade. But, as you can see, there are many other factors that a top school like Harvard considers and grades are only aspect of your application.
Bottom Line: Let it go and do better next quarter! Find a tippy-top student in the class where you are struggling and ask them for help. Form an after school study group. Go to your teacher privately and ask them for help. There are many things you can do NOW to help improve your studies that are far more beneficial to your education that worrying about a low grade.
I agree with @gibby. Even if you are a straight A student (and it sounds like you are not quite) then Harvard is still a very high reach and very unlikely. This can’t change your probability of getting into Harvard by a significant amount because your chances were already at best in the low single digits.
Let it go, do better next quarter, apply to Harvard if you want to, but focus on schools where you actually have a decent shot at getting in.
Also, you should keep in mind that the science test that you just did badly on was really, really easy compared to what your second or third year science tests will be if you were to go to Harvard (or MIT, or Chicago, or similar schools).
Take heart! First quarter grades can be based on just one or two tests/assessments – colleges know this. If Harvard really likes your application, but is concerned about this grade, an admissions officer will call your high school guidance counselor.
Maybe your class is taught by a particularly tough teacher or a new teacher or a teacher experimenting with a new grading system. Maybe this is a particularly hard AP Physics class, and you are applying as a stellar humanities student. If you have an otherwise strong application and Harvard is leaning toward “admit,” a low-ish first-quarter grade will not deter them – they just might seek more information. Good luck.
Do not fret about what you can’t change. Might it hurt you? Maybe, but it is doubtful that your whole application will hinge on one grade.
The posters who note that Harvard may be a high reach for you are probably right, but that is not a reason not to try for Harvard if you love it. Prepare regular decision applications for target schools and safety schools that admit a higher percentage of students than Harvard, and where your grades and scores are typical for their students’, so that you will have a school you are happy to attend if Harvard does not work out.
I disagree a little with DadTwoGirls’ contention that college work will be harder than high school work.
I went to Williams for my undergraduate work and Columbia for my graduate work. While the level of cognitive challenge and quality-of-work expectations were much higher than in high school, the workload was a lot easier to manage. In high school, you are in classes all day, then doing extracurriculars, then struggling to get all your homework done at night when you are tired. In college, you spend a lot less time in class, so if you are good at time management, it is SO much less stressful than high school! My whole life (I am 47 years old), I have never felt as stressed in terms of workload as I did in my junior and senior years of high school… even though I went to top colleges and now I work a really intense job where I certainly work hard.
I think you know the answer. Will one quarter’s grade in one class be the sole cause of a rejection? No Will it help your application? No
Also keep in mind that from another thread one of your SAT II scores was below the school average.
Harvard is a longshot for every unhooked applicant so be sure to have other schools on your application list that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend.
So, how many B grades is it? Because Gibby is right that so many will apply with stellar records. And it isn’t just the tangibles in the app, eg, “good” LoRs and essay, but what comes through about you, the attributes they want to see shine through.
About difficulty. The issue is that where expectations are higher and college peers bring a high level of academic and other achievement, the high school B’s and possible C can be viewed as problematic. Depends on what hs classes, what poss major.
Harvard doesn’t admit on grades and stats alone. You have to meet a benchmark that shows you can do the work, and after that, it is really about other things, mainly things you can contribute to the class. They want to assemble an interesting class and so admission if based on what each applicant brings to that mix.
Send your application in and don’t think about it. Your chances are very slim regardless- as are everyone’s. Spend this time looking into other schools and preparing those applications for submission later.