<p>I am a freshman, and just got my grades for the quarter this morning (our quarter grades count for semester-long classes), and received a C in math!! 
1.) Should I accept the C, take the class again as my math class next year, or accept a Pass? --If I take the pass, or take the class again next year, I canât be val or sal, and my school uses the unweighted grading system, so I still only get 4.0 for AP courses, opposed to a 5.0. I am leaning towards accepting the C, since the other two options wonât do anything for me, and I am automatically out of the running for val/sal, which I may still have a chanceâŚ
2.) How will this look on my college application to Yale/other prestigious schools? Obviously not good, but what will they think? Will this jeopardize my chances?</p>
<p>Iâd take the pass. I seriously doubt that youâre going to end up val/sal even if youâre eligible, and a C looks reeaaallly bad. Honestly, I doubt youâre going to get into any top college with that kind of a transcript (although improvement, i.e. Aâs, from now on will help). Also, my high school didnât have it, but arenât Val/Sal given at the END of senior year? Doesnât seem like something you put on your college app anyway, merely your gpa.</p>
<p>Wow, your doomed. You wonât get into anywhere with that C. </p>
<p>But seriously, I think youâll be fine. If anything, just take it as a wake-up call and motivation to do better in upcoming semesters. GL.</p>
<p>Um⌠thanks⌠You do know that one âbadâ grade isnât going to kill my chances. I donât really understand how you can say that you seriously doubt I will get into any top colleges. I know several people just from my school who have gotten into Yale with a C in this very class. And in regards to Val/Sal, yes, it is at the end of the year, I am just interested in the award. You know, I donât plan on getting another C in any class. Maybe Iâm taking your comment too seriously, I am just having a freak out moment here. Iâve never gotten a bad grade before and I am really worried.</p>
<p>Well, I have another question. My grandmother, the person who encouraged me to try for Yale in the first place, and who I was very close to, died right in the middle of the quarter. Any chance I could explain myself during the application process? Would that make it seem better, per se? I do believe that part of it is a result of her death, and I was doing just fine in the class until then. Any sympathy from Yale?</p>
<p>Relax. Youâre a FRESHMAN! If this is the only C you get in high school, it will not be a problem. Not to say that youâd be âinâ at Yale, but that alone wouldnât keep you out.</p>
<p>I apologize for being so blunt. I said that I doubt youâll get in with a âtranscriptâ of that nature, but I didnât mean for one individual C. When I said that, I merely meant that you canât continue to get Câs across your classes; you ought to be getting Aâs in most or all. One C will never be the end of the world; a transcript full of them throughout your high school career is a different story, howeverâŚ</p>
<p>Sorry, just wanted to encourage you to do well from now on⌠sophomore and junior years will matter more.</p>
<p>Do not accept that C!
If you accept it, you would have to show in your application that you have matured from a careless student who accepted a C to a straight A student. </p>
<p>It is pretty difficult to do.
Do not do that. You should wake up. No excuses would send you to Yale. The adcom have seen many essays that tell them of this and that. They want some variety, and you should add to that variety.
All the best</p>
<p>Well⌠if youâre getting a C in freshman year math, Iâd hate to think how youâd do in AP Calc⌠:(</p>
<p>Hey Gryffon, you got into Yale? </p>
<p>Listen, we come from schools with similar school profiles. We should meet dude</p>
<p>I totally said my comment in a sarcastic manner. Iâm sorry if you took it the wrong way. Like I said, seriously donât worry about the C. I know itâs a scary thing, sometimes you plan to get all Aâs or what not and a C is something unexpected but donât freak out about it. Your only a freshman and you have time to bounce back up. Good Luck.</p>
<p>I think you should realize that you just have to work harder, and do your best.</p>
<p>Itâs simply not healthy to think about colleges as a freshman: work your hardest, get involved, and most importantly, do not pad your resume with activities you donât enjoy.</p>
<p>Be genuine.
And donât think about college admissionsâyet.</p>
<p>^
I disagree with it not being healthy. You should in fact be thinking about it once you start the math streaming process, which for me was around 5th or 6th grade. Iâll admit that I kind of blew of Junior High School and finished with a cumulative average of 3.52 for both years, but come 9th grade I became very serious. Youâre screwed if you donât think about it early.</p>
<p>I donât think that Universities care very much about freshman year, and Princeton doesnât even look at it. Youâre not really doomed with any choice you take. If you choose to have the grade waived and are automatically disqualified from being the Valedictorian or Salutatorian, but feel that you would still have a chance with the C, then donât do it. Are you saying that even if you had the highest GPA, you would be ranked as #3? Or did I misunderstand?</p>
<p>What math class was it?</p>