I got into my top school as an ED applicant. However, my transcript has changed (freshman-junior year mostly As with one or two Bs, to As and Bs with one D this year) due to my intense course rigor. I did some research and saw it would be regarded worse if the D was in a core class/major related class, which it is (Multivariable Calc). I had a pretty rough first quarter due to some external issues so my grades were tanked regardless of my second quarter efforts.
I know that the mid-year (semester 1) grades are sent to all schools I applied to, so I’m worried I might get rescinded. In the event I do, would I be able to attend another school I applied to Early Action or would I have to look into CCs? Additionally, would this still be an issue if I came out with my final transcript with As and Bs?
They generally don’t rescind based on midyear, but you should expect a nasty warning letter expressing disappointment and requiring an explanation and plan for improvement. Once they review the final transcript, little or no improvement will jeopardize your acceptance
So we can’t know for sure, but one thing to be aware of is colleges are not limited to just doing nothing or immediately rescinding an offer. They can also do things like send warning letters, invite a discussion about what is happening, and so on. (edit: see also other poster pointing this out)
If you have a good counselor at your secondary school, I would start by talking with them. They might have some useful insights. Possibly you would also want to get ahead of this process by reaching out to the school before getting a warning letter, but I would want coordinated help from my counselor if I was thinking about doing that.
In terms of options, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time worrying about it now. But if you followed your ED agreement, you should have withdrawn all other applications. And if in the end it doesn’t work out with this college, it is possible you would want to take a gap year rather than limit yourself to the options you would have. Like I note many colleges have continued rolling admissions until quite late, but you may not want to limit yourself to those in such a scenario.
But first step first, hopefully you can talk to your counselor and work out a plan for what, if anything, you need to be doing for now to try to work things out with your ED college.
I don’t know if your school will rescind based on a semester grade.
Go to talk to your HS counselor, asap. You have to tell your ED school about the D before they see it…you want to avoid surprising them. Is there a way you can remediate the D either in second semester or over the summer? If so, include that plan in your communication. If your counselor knows about your external/personal issues, perhaps they can also communicate with the ED school on your behalf…something to ask about.
Talk to your counselor about a plan B as well. CC will always be an option. Your EA school app should have been withdrawn. Do that now if it’s still live.
The D could be an issue but hopefully the school will work with you (I suspect they will if you handle it right.) I would contact your AO ASAP and let them know. You can provide a brief explanation but do not make excuses. They will likely want a plan in place and may make your ultimate acceptance contingent on doing well next semester.
I think one thing to be aware of and what would make me nervous is that Multi Variable Calculus is a very hard class and the content builds upon itself. Do you feel caught up now with the material? If not, you may not be able to do much better next semester. It is one of those classes that once you get behind or if you don’t understand things, it can be hard to catch up and do well. Maybe also ask your AO if it would be OK for you to just drop the class/withdraw and try the class again in college with a fresh approach. Or, if you have to stick it out can you get a tutor?