I used to have a 4.2 weighted and 3.9 unweighted and was on route for a 4.4 next semester until I had a bad day and failed my chemistry final (CP) which brought my gpa down to 4 flat weighted and 3.7 unweighted. Before I was planning on apply to top 50 schools but I feel like this one C will ruin my chances. My extra curriculars are strong but not strong enough to override a 2.0 on my gpa. I’m currently trying to get him to round up as the final was worth 50% of our grade and I had to take it while evacuating for a fire but he is extremely strict so that C may be my final semester one grade. I’m not going to be majoring in chemistry or any math/science.
One C is not going to ruin your chances at top 50 schools especially if you are not looking at a math/science major. Your GPA will still be competititve for most of the schools outside of the ivies.
Schools understand the stress students are under and you can explain your circumstances in your additional essay. Also, most schools will look at you holistically so you can still do well on your SAT and AP tests and you will be competitive.
You could also take the SAT Subject Test in Chemistry just to demonstrate you have the knowledge needed in this area.
If you are not a current senior, you will have time to raise your GPA before college application time.
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Consider having your GC explain the circumstances, while praising your other assets.
Top 30-50 is different than the competition for Top 20.
I agree with TwinMom, one C should not ruin your chances except at tippy top schools. My D19 had one semester C in a math class and a few (3? can’t remember now) B’s, she was still accepted to Tulane, Miami, Boston College, Florida (we are in state there though.) Her BFF had at least 1, maybe 2 C’s - she was more advanced than my D in math so her C’s were in things like Calc BC and Physics 2 I think but she was applying for architecture so it is a harder to get accepted at some schools. She also was accepted to Tulane (and for the full tuition Dean’s Honor award), Miami and UVA.
Yes, that’s really just not poggers
It probably substantially hurts chances at the top 25 or so schools, but the impact on the rest of the top 50 will be lower. Single exams having a big impact is the unfortunate reality even in college, so don’t expect a lot of sympathy from the adcoms if your GC explains it (unless it was a truly extenuating circumstance like a death in the immediate family that caused you to do poorly on the exam). You can mitigate the hit to GPA, to an extent, with strong standardized test scores (particularly the SAT/ACT).