Can I get accepted if...

Hi!

If your grades were a result of an extenuating circumstance, list that in your additional info for your Common App. However, if it was a result of you simply not caring, be transparent - don't make excuses. If you have a consistent and positive trajectory for your high school transcript - you went from Cs to As - this will look better than the opposite, getting high grades which then become lower. Talk about what drove you to work harder and what changed your mentality on boosting your grades. If used correctly, it can even be an engaging essay topic for you to write about.

These schools want to see improvement so it won't be the end of the world if you have a couple Cs on your transcript as long as you're getting As now. There have been students who have gotten into these schools with Cs in the past, though few and far between. Because unfortunately, Ivy Leagues reject tons and tons of applicants with straight As, perfect SAT scores, and impressive extracurriculars.

The best you can do boost your average, have original and unique accomplishments and extracurriculars and achievements, excellent recommendation letters, and strong essays. If the rest of your application is incredibly strong and you boost your grades, you will be on the right track for potentially landing one these competitive schools.

Best of luck!

Try to get A and A predictions in your A levels as well as a high SAT or ACT. Then you have a shot for good universities

It is possible to get into a top college with some lower grades, but it will be harder.

As @nadiakhan said, if you got the C due to extenuating circumstances (illness, family issues, etc.), colleges will be more understanding. You can certainly explain those circumstances in the Additional Information section of the Common App. If your grades have improved, that also works in your favor. You might want to read this CollegeVine article for more info: https://blog.collegevine.com/can-i-get-into-a-top-college-with-a-c-on-my-transcript/

If you get a high SAT score, that can certainly help increase your chances. Top colleges use what's called the Academic Index (AI) as a screening tool for applicants. AI is a numerical representation of your academic achievements (grades, test scores, difficulty of courses). If your AI doesn't meet minimum thresholds, you might get automatically rejected. If you do meet the minimum, your application should at least get read, but it doesn't guarantee acceptance by any means. The fastest way to improve your AI is to improve your test scores. Here's more about AI in this post: https://blog.collegevine.com/what-is-the-academic-index-how-is-it-calculated/

Hope this helps, and good luck!