<p>I know that college addmissions officers tend to not put much weight to non-core classes (i.e physical education or art)</p>
<p>However, in my second (read: optional) read of art, I recieved the grade of C during on of the semesters, all due to one horrible, horrible quarter grade caused by a complication of various factors.</p>
<p>How negatively will this weigh on my application? This isn’t killing my GPA overall; GPA barely changes from this grade alone.</p>
<p>If you’re an art applicant it should matter…</p>
<p>If you’re applying to another school with a high GPA there’s no worry about one C in an art class. </p>
<p>S had a C in music for one quarter in Junior and Sophomore years – but was also All-COunty and All-State Orchestra. (High School has a sectional attendance conflict with other classes-- what non-music student misses Math or AP Science to go play an instrument in a non-gpa impact music elective?!)</p>
<p>I think D might have even earned a D in PE second semester senior year (didn’t go most of the time) – and she wasn’t rescinded from CMU with a D on her transcript!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it…especially if all the other grades were solid.</p>
<p>How solid does solid have to be 
My GPA isn’t phenomenal - it’s like a 3.6 unweighted… 4.35 weighted (I took like practically all honors and will have 13 AP credits under my belt by the end of this year)</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply! I’m interested in Tepper/MCS by the way.</p>
<p>If it’s your only C in 3 years-- don’t fret it…</p>
<p>If you sprinkle in Cs…eh, someone is going to wonder what’s up.</p>
<p>“solid” is hard to define…sorry.
It’s totally speculation-- we never really know what gets an Adcom smiling or thumbs-downing any one folder…so to define solid from my opinion would only cause unnecessary anxiety… </p>
<p>My personal guess just reading chance threads and results threads here and CMU reports for the past few years
3.8 + is very good if there are also ECs and great essays (they don’t take grade zombies with no life and no promise of being tomorrow’s leaders in their fields)
3.6-3.7 they look – just more carefully – probably MOST applicants are in this range
3.5 – getting risky (except HSS and Art)
< 3.4 – possible for full pay internationals and some URMs…but really highly unlikely once you’re down in this range – not to say miracles don’t happen-- but the last 4 years have seen a very steady upward trend in the stats of admitted students and the size of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>Again-- if you read my earlier posts many times over…CMU is not about GPAs…they look at the courses you take and very very very seriously read your essays to see how you help to shape and form the broadly defined diverse class of students they seek to build-- emerging leaders, etc.</p>
<p>This is not to dissuade applicants-- ANYTHING is possible…have an interview and show your passion for the school - if CMU is your first choice-- let the ADCOM know in your essays, interview and make sure your references write that too!</p>
<p>Only one C, everything that isn’t GPA (including course rigor… took AP Calc Freshman Year!) is great. Had a good interview…</p>
<p>Hoping for the best!</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>A good interview is a good sign!!</p>
<p>Don’t forget to write your timely thank you note…
Reiterate what they told you that excited you about CMU and give yourself another plug in a very brief way if you can highlight something that you think caught the ADCOM’s ear during that interview.</p>
<p>Been there, done that 
Thanks though…</p>
<p>But the wait… :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
I WANT TO BE A SECOND SEMESTER SENIOR PLEASE!</p>