Can one below-average semester hijack my chances?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I just started my second semester of senior year and am trying to get into Colorado School of Mines. I applied early to the school in the fall but still haven’t heard anything back from them yet. My unweighted GPA was always between a 3.5-3.7 for my first 6 six semesters of high school and I have taken nothing but IB, AP, and honors classes. I got a 29 on my ACT which is right at the average for Mines. I got the same number of As as Bs each semester (sometimes more As) with no Cs or Ds. However, I saw my final grades for last semester a few days ago and discovered that I only got a 3.2. To make matters worse, I received an e-mail from Mines telling me that I wasn’t accepted initially and that they want to see my grades for the last semester. I am deathly afraid that sending these new grades in will kill any remaining chance I have of getting into the school.

I wouldn’t even call my semester bad because of the academic rigor of my classes and the fact that I didn’t get anything below a B but this is really concerning. Will one below-average semester completely destroy my chances of getting in or is it not that big of a deal?

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

If they wanted to see your grades from this past semester in making their decision, that can sting. Normally, if you can back up the reason for why your grades were not on par, you would be fine. How is your overall GPA compared to the middle 50% of the most recently enrolled freshman class?

3

My unweighted GPA (3.58) is just a tad below the middle 50% (3.62) , my weighted GPA is significantly ahead of the average.

4

Provide an update to the school including the positives and an explanation for why the GPA may be a bit lower-perhaps far more rigor to best prepare yourself for a tough school, etc.

5

Middle 50 should be a range where the lower number is the 25th percentile and the greater number is the 75th percentile. If 3.62 is the median GPA, then you should still have hope. In your update, provide an explanation for why your grades may have been lower than usual. As long as you never fell into the C range or below, they may have some sympathy for you.

6

My counselor and a teacher from Mines recommended that I do the same thing. Thanks for the tip!