Freshman classes ruining my chances?Answered
I'm really interested in attending more competitive schools. Not the Ivy Leagues or Stanford, more like Boston College and the University of Washington. However, I'm concerned about some of my grades during my freshman year. It was during COVID, and I was really struggling, like many of us, so I think that admissions committees will be understanding about the Bs and B+s I earned in AP World and Pre-AP Bio, but I don't think they will be too forgiving regarding the B I earned in my Art class. I have never been good at art. Despite this, I have managed to show an upward trend in grades with the most rigorous curriculum available to me, and my extracurriculars are strong and will continue to get stronger. What do you all think? Is a lower grade in an easy class going to take me out of the running for more competitive schools?
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4 answers
Hey @sdellota. Don't even worry about a B on your grades. I'm a senior right now and I got a B in art, too (my little sister is more of the art-buff to be honest). Colleges do look at all of your grades but a B in art won't do anything to you, trust me. They understand that COVID was a bad time for literally all of us, so they shouldn't penalize you for one B, especially if it's required for your graduation. What really matters is what you do from now until you graduate. Get involved at school and outside of school and if you want to get into more competitive schools, take some competitive classes that will help you, your major and meets the requirement of the universities. It's good that your taking APs a little earlier (at my school we aren't allowed to unless we're sophomores) so as long as you took the class to challenge yourself, universities like that. Even if you want to be an art major, a B your first year is okay! Don't stress too much about freshmen year, but focus on keeping a steady grade pattern throughout high school (assuming that you're a sophomore, universities shouldn't be too angry if you get one B in 10th grade).
Hope this helps :)
Hi @sdellota!
I don't think one B your first year of high school is going to prevent you from getting into college. Colleges will understand that this was during COVID, and expect a drop, but they will also place less emphasis on your earlier high school years in general (this is why an upward trajectory is so important).
Regarding it being in art specifically, I'm not sure why that would matter unless you were specifically looking to major in an art-related field (otherwise, as an elective, it's probably less important). As long as your grades improve, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Hope that helps!
Hello,
I would say that it all depends on your growth since then. If you have been able to overcome those early struggles, I think your success now covers up some struggle earlier. Ultimately look for a way you can now use this experience to strengthen your resume for later. Being able to express how you have overcome a challenge can help you later in essays or interviews if applicable. I hope this helps.
As long as you show improvement you should be fine.
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