Dreaded C+ on transcript
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Anonymous
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DD is in a big 3 school and a fairly good student in at least the top 3rd (if not higher) of the class. During 9th and 10th grade most of her grades were usually an A or A- with a couple of B's thrown in. Science is something she has always struggled with and this semester she got a dreaded C+ in her science class. We're hoping this one "C" letter grade is an anomaly and the rest of her high school years will be As and Bs (fingers crossed). DD is not looking to study science in school and is looking at an English or History major. She will not apply to any Ivy League schools but may be interested in applying ED to schools like Duke or Northwestern or some SLACs. She also likes Berkeley and UCLA. Does one "C" letter grade in 10th grade impact her chances at these colleges. DD has some great extracurriuculars including some competitive summer scholarships so she does have that going for her.
DD is upset about the "C" grade and we're hoping to help put this in perspective for her. And yes, we will ask the counselors but we don't have our first meeting until this fall. |
Anonymous
| You do realize that unless you're from CA, it's almost impossible to get into UCLA or Berkeley without perfect grades? Also, I find it funny that you listed Northwestern as being easier to get into than the Ivies. |
Anonymous
The delivery is obnoxious, but this information is correct. If you can't meet with college counselors until the Fall and you can't take waiting, you can always find and hire your own. Kind of pointless, since the grade is what it is. Hope your DS has a good summer. |
Anonymous
| Yeah unless she is a legacy sounds like her grades won’t be enough for Duke it Northwestern. You can ask your school counselor but having just gone through the process, I’d say those would be far reaches. There are so many great schools out there though! If she likes Chicago, look at DePaul as a safety. If she likes san Francisco look at San Francisco University or at Occidental if she likes LA. They are all good schools. |
Anonymous
| You're the adult, so I recommend you help her put this in perspective. It's not a dreaded grade, she's not doomed, the world isn't coming to an end. Help her figure out what she could do differently in her next science class, celebrate her successes, and have a good summer. |
Anonymous
From a Big 3, Northwestern is definitely easier to get into than most of the Ivies, except maybe Cornell - especially applying ED. OP, if your DD has a great junior year, the C+ won't make much of a difference -- junior year is the most important gradewise in HS. But the PPs are right that you might want to dial back your expectations for college for her because all the schools you've listed are reaches for pretty much any Big 3 student, even ones with almost all A's. |
Anonymous
+1 Sheesh. |
Anonymous
| Yes. It impacts her choices, doesn't pre-determine them, but impacts them. Start speaking positively about successful people who came from all sorts of academic backgrounds. Talk about the benefits of being in the top of her class in a less selective pond. Read Malcom Gladwell's book David and Goliath, summarized here https://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwells-david-and-goliath-2013-10 |
Anonymous
OP, it sounds like you are out of touch in terms of where your daughter stands with regard to college admissions. You should meet with a private counselor ASAP -- before the school year begins -- to discuss what she can do in the coming year to improve her chance of admission to where she wants to go. With her current grades, performance on SATs are going to matter a lot, especially for the big schools. If she breaks the 1500 mark and gets mid to high 700s on subject tests, and 5s on APs, she might have a shot. |
Anonymous
OMG....this. I have done university admissions for years and one grade doesn't sink anyone. We look for trends. If she consistently gets B's and C's in maths or sciences, that would absolutely impact her ability to get into some schools. But more importantly....and I have had this discussion with SO many parents and students....IT IS THE STUDENT AND NOT THE SCHOOL that makes success! Especially in the new economy. It won't matter a bit if DS graduates from Cornell with a 3.75 if she doesn't have job-specific skills. Pick a school because it's a good fit for your child and not because of the name across the top of the diploma. Really....almost no one cares anymore unless you are going into academia (and good lord don't go into academia). |
Anonymous
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Okay one Cplus is not keeping her out of college to
Any school. If you are worried have her take it over in the summer. |
Anonymous
| Our DS graduated from a big 3 and had good (but not outstanding) academics and solid (but not outstanding) extracurriculars. ACT was a 31. He got into UCLA but not Berkeley. He also got into Michigan and was waitlisted at Chapel Hill. You definitely don't need "perfect grades" to get into those schools. |
Anonymous
Best advice ever. And do not, repeat, do not hire a private counselor. |
Anonymous
| +1 to the PPs who said a C+ is not a problem for college admissions, especially for a likely history or English major with very strong SATs. That being said, the Big 3 Ivy/Stanford admits who are not recruited athletes are among the strongest students at their schools. Your DD, her classmates, and teachers all know who they are. If DD is among them, she can still get in to one of the <10% admit schools. If not, then make sure you keep an open mind about your reach schools to include Wash U, the southern schools (UVA, UNC, Tulane, Emory, Vandy), USC, UCLA, and SLACs and women's colleges. |
Anonymous
So a kid with a C at the Big3 can get into these competitive schools? I was looking at a list of matriculations from a Big3 this year and many kids are going to much less competitive schools. Did these kids )half the class or more) get multiple Cs? |