<p>AP English Lit: A- (90)
AP Macroecon: A+ (97)
AP Physics B: A (94)
AP Biology: A (93)
AP Chemistry: A+ (97)</p>
<p>AP Biology and AP Chemistry are both two class periods long, so that's why I could only fit 5 courses in my schedule. I wrote that I am looking to major in the sciences, usually putting "Chemistry" or "Biochemistry" as my #1 choice.</p>
<p>Will these grades be enough to balance out a terrible Junior Year? I hear that Junior year is by far the most important, but I really screwed it up (prob contributed to why Stanford rejected me REA). I had two semesters which were Bs, one semester that was a B-, and another semester was a C+. So yeah pretty bad. Calculus was the the C+ and B- (79 *** and 82). </p>
<p>Colleges don't know this, but my teachers gave me several 0s on major assignments due to unexcused absences which contributed to the drop. lol actually my calc teacher gave me a triple daily 0 on the last day of the sem which dropped me from an 81 to a 79, because she didn't think I showed enough work on the review and had copied. What a ***** right?</p>
<p>Anyway, any opinions on this? I know it's pointless to obsess over it, but my parents have also been nagging me about it too. It's atleast enough to show that I'm not on a downward trend right? I just hope the adcoms don't start reviewing my app before the Mid Year Report comes in and they might subconsciously make up their mind about me, and then just glance at my senior grades when they come in (which would probably be early Feb).</p>
<p>Probably any elite college is out of reach
for you at this point. You mentioned Stanford and I would be surprised if any of the top 30 would accept you unless you have a hook. There’s a big difference between the student who has a steady and progressive improvement versus one who seems to lack motivation. One option might be to go to a community college and build up a solid record for a full year and then try to transfer.
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using CC</p>
<p>Lack motivation? I had great Freshman and Sophomore years, and really it was only a couple Junior classes that were dragging me down (namely calculus). I don’t want people to get annoyed at me for defending myself, but wow ‘you’d be surprised if any of the top 30 would accept me’? Maybe you’re right though. Now I’m worried heh. I’m still top 3% of a competitive public school if that makes a difference. And I was hoping that they’d focus more on my higher science grades, which go with my prospective major/ECs. Crap this sucks, it’s scary to hear someone suggest community college lol</p>
<p>btw this is my trend as best as I can remember it:</p>
<p>It’s tough to say. Most college counselors recommend that students display a steady GPA record or an incremental record. Junior year tends to be the most important year but in all reality, every high school student starts to get burned out from the amount of work they are given. Some colleges like to see students who challenge themselves by taking harder courses, even though it might result in a lower grade. Although your GPA looks steady, your rank dropped considerably. Other than grades, are there anything else that “wows” people?</p>
<p>So far you have been focusing on your GPA. Of course, all the colleges will look at the applicants’ transcripts thoroughly, which is the first and most important step in admission evaluation. However, academic abilities are not just evaluated by GPA. Standard tests/scores may come into play. How about your SAT/ACT scores? Have you taken any AP tests? Good performance on standard tests may help. Your recommendations can help a lot, too, if your teachers can address your senior performance and emphasize your resilience and great potential to succeed in college.</p>
<p>I am sympathetic to your situation for I know someone who is smart but got Bs with similar reasons like yours. Your senior grades probably will not save you if you only aim at those highly competitive colleges like Stanford. However, you still have a lot of chances to get into good colleges that will offer you quality education but are not well known to those followers of US News college rankings.</p>
<p>@Entric
Yeah I did take harder courses, so that might also have something to do with it:
Freshman: 1 AP
Sophomore: 2 APs
Junior: 5 APs
Senior: 6 APs
Although, as you can see I still managed to do well with just as hard a courseload my senior semester. So it was really just the actual classes like Calculus that hurt me. I guess I have a couple ‘wows’ but I really didn’t want to expand this into some sort of chance thread with all my stats. Just wanted people to evaluate the trend as it is. Thanks for the input though, I’m def concerned about my drop in rank</p>
<p>@Meliora
Yeah I have really good test scores, although my Junior recommendations prob aren’t all that good (didn’t have many options). I guess I never considered that I might not have a good shot at some of these places, even with the drop in rank. And I only applied to colleges that are well known in US News rankings, so I guess I shouldn’t be too optimistic. Wow this sucks</p>
<p>Hopefully you had some good matches on your list - where your odds of admission based on GPA and test scores are better than 50%??? Or did you only apply to the super selective schools like Stanford? Your GPA is still quite high and you did challenge yourself so that works in your favor, but places like Stanford with acceptance rates of less than 10% are like entering a lottery.
It is not too late to apply to a few more schools if your list was unbalanced. The College Board search tool will find schools for you that have later admissions dates.</p>
<p>@BeanTownGirl
I don’t want to sound too confident, but based on my other stats I think some of the competitive colleges on my list are matches. My rank is really the only thing that is hurting me, or rather it’s mostly my Junior Year that’s causing the trouble. But yeah based on the rest of my profile I had hoped Cornell and Rice would be high matches, and USC a low match.</p>
<p>It sucks how if you bomb a couple classes Freshman or Sophomore year but do well Junior year, everyone says “nbd you’ll be fine”. But then if it’s reversed and you screw up a couple Junior classes but everything else including senior sem is fine, it’s like “yeah you’re not getting into one of the higher schools”. heh oh well. I guess I’ll take a look at some colleges with later admissions</p>
<p>People get into Stanford and other Ivy League/esque schools with much lower GPAs. Calc was obviously hard for you but your other grades are high so it doesn’t show that you were slacking. These schools are all gambles anyway. Perhaps the admissions officer may not like it but you won’t get denied solely on that fact.</p>
<p>Here is the issue. Your stats…what ever they may be…total GPA, rank, test scores, are simply “markers” will get you placed in the “no” pile or “second look” pile. If you go into the second look pile and based on what little I know, I would think this is a good possibility because your Freshman and Sophomore grades dilute the weakness in your Junior year, but is where your problems begin. First, when you applied, you didn’t have Senior grades. Even if you sent them in to show improvement, they are a “back page” to your application and not your front “flash” page. What’s more than likely on your front page are your Junior grades since typically current grades are first followed by lower years, this is why Junior year is critical. And frankly, they are not stellar. Stellar is the operative word here. </p>
<p>Kids across the country pull 10-18 APs in their HS career hitting the home runs with straight A’s and an occasional “B”. Your additional information about not great recommendation does not bend to your favor either. If I was reading your application, I would want a reason why they dip in performance. It sounds as if there was not a compelling reason. You commented that you received “0’s” on assignments due to unexcused absences. I believe that is where “lack of motivation” was called out although not what I would call it. The question becomes what was so important that you missed school, yet the school did not view the absence as excused? It had to be important enough for you to miss, and that is owned by you and only you. A firm lesson…well yes. </p>
<p>We all make choices. You made your choices to not attend class and although it may not hurt your college choice, I suspect it will. I hope you have safety on your list, but based on my pretty deep knowledge of Rice, I would consider it a huge reach and not nearly a match based on grades alone. Kids in Texas with perfect SATs and perfect GPAs are turned down by Rice everyday.</p>
<p>From what I have seen, no. Those schools that are highly selective are not going to take any excuses for the drop. However, by bringing your grades up senior year and making sure that it is noted, you may still be an attractive candidate for those school where your test scores are putting you way on the top range. However, I don’t see a drop the way you have presented your grades. Ask to see your transcript exactly the way your colleges will be seeing it, something all students should see. Most schools just list the year end grades for all years except senior years, when the last term grades are sent. None of my kids high schools showed anything but that.</p>
<p>Well lads, it looks like I’m royally ****ed. Terrible to think that a couple classes like Calculus plus bad timing can screw everything up. I really appreciate all this advice though. Everyone’s posts are very detailed and straightforward. I like the honesty, and I guess I really shouldn’t expect as much as I had originally thought. Dammit this makes me angry and depressed. Talk about working your ass off for nothing am I right?</p>
<p>Any college with an acceptance rate of under 20-25% probably is not a match for ANYONE. They are looking for reasons to put you into the “no” pile at those colleges, and you have given them one. So don’t consider competitive colleges a “match” – really, no one should.</p>
<p>You could still apply to a few more schools, I know some LACs in the top 30 have January 15 dates for applications.</p>
<p>Going offtrack on one course is not fatal. Your first term senior grades show that apart from that one glitch you have stellar grades and (from your chance me posts) you have excellent standard test scores, and ECs. </p>
<p>I’m not of the opinion that selective colleges are looking for a reason to say “no”. They are inclined to identify, attract and select strong applicants who will thrive and contribute to the college.</p>
<p>All this said my sense from your post is that the issue with your application may be mediocre recommendations:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Strong recommendations are key to a successful outcome in applications to the colleges on your list.</p>
<p>Consider adding one or two recommendations to your application. Talk this over with your college counselor and your senior year teachers. Surely with your stellar first semester performance that may be possible. Even with the January 1 deadline to most of the colleges on your list my sense is that there is time to add the extra recommendations.</p>