@ad28lt21rb Look man I’m in a similar situation as well and I’m an Asian male with very similar ec’s and high sats but a low gpa. Mine is actually a little worse than yours at a 3.78. I even got a c in AP physics this semester. I too prefer math and computer science to mechanics and chemistry. However, I truly believe that exceptional ec’s (no awards necessary) and sufficient signs of academic prowess can overshadow a c. It may have some impact but probably not too much as long as it’s not a consistent pattern. Look, I’m pretty much getting bashed on these forums and being called a “c student” and being told to look at “average universities” simply because of one c. 80% of your grades are still A’s. A Harvard admissions officer once told me that they simply check your stats to see if you’re prepared to do the work and if so you move onto the next round and they evaluate your ec’s, recs, and essays to differentiate among candidates and everyone who makes it to the second round is on the same playing field. One hiccup will not get you automatically rejected. You will find that people on these forums will bash you and try to stir you away from ivies in favor of less prestigious schools. They’re cranky old people who have nothing better to do with their lives. I doubt many of them even got into an ivy and are trying to spread their pain.
Also, being Asian might impact you a bit for the tippy top of schools but they’re getting sued for this. I have huge respect for the uc’s and caltech for not considering race.
If you would like a collaborator from California, feel free to PM me. 