Hello,
Before I get into my grades for this semester, I would like to list my credentials. During my Sophomore year, I received all As and A-s except in Math, where I received a B+. I have never been quantitatively oriented, but my Geometry teacher gave me a bit of a break. I have a 30 ACT superscore, with my highest composite being a 29, and a 36 writing/essay score. I participate in many bands, I am on the executive boards for Jack and Jill of America and Ready Readers Inc, I have taken two courses at my community college in Literature since 1945, and I will be doing two intensive writing programs at Wash U. and Barnard. Also, I heard that being African American helps. I go to John Burroughs School, arguably the most difficult private school in Missouri, and there, they only offer APs and Honors senior year, exceptions being Math, Science and Foreign Language Courses offered in junior year.
However, this year was very difficult for me. My first semester grades were okay, but I saw a major drop in Physics and a slight drop in my already sub par math grade. My grades were as follows:
First Semester:
Honors Spanish-B+
English-A-
History-A-
Physics A-
Algebra II-B-
Second Semester
Honors Spanish- A-
English-A-
History-A-
Physics-B-
Algebra II-C+
Next year, I will be taking:
AP Spanish
Honors English
Topics in Precalculus and Finite (basically a math course for people who probably couldn’t handle actual precalc)
Honors Foundations of Western Literature
Literature and History
I am extremely worried about these grades because colleges want to see an upward trend, and dropping an entire letter grade in a class must look horrible. Furthermore, a B- in math is already bad, but a C+ is even worse. I heard you can’t even get into awesome schools with a C+ in a class, but I really did try my hardest (not that that really matters). I feel like I have failed in the one area in which I was supposed to succeed. Before these grades, I was going to apply to highly competitive school such as Brown, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan, Williams, Amherst and Carleton, but I know these grades are not what they are looking for.
I know I go to a highly competitive school. I know I got the hardest teachers this year, and I know that I was never going to paint the picture of someone who was particularly quantitatively oriented. I am hoping that my established academic niche will help me as well. However, I feel as though none of these are viable excuses in the eyes of college admissions. Can someone advise me what to do? Do I even have a shot at getting into these schools with this sub par year?