My end all be all question. Is a 3.81 with a C on my mid year report worse than a 3.75 without the C, or are they almost the same thing? GPAs are unweighted. Class isn’t relevant to major.
Bump
Depends on what kinds of schools you are aiming for and if this is a core class. It’s still pretty darn early in the semester so why not try to get that grade up to a B?
Mainly T30 schools with the hopes of some ivies. Core class but not a STEM class. Also I’m speaking in terms of the future wit’s the worst case scenario.
I think a C is potentially going to hurt for a top school. Get a tutor if you can, talk to your teacher before/after school, etc…
Yes , it will highly likely hurt you. “ What have you done lately?” Is very relevant in the picture. A downward trend hurts terribly. There are kids who will Rev it up this last term. That’s what is in the admissions pool with you.
Don’t understand the math on your hypothetical if we are talking UW GPA. It sounds like the gist of your question is if you should drop the potential “C” course. If you drop a course with a value of “2” with an existing GPA already greater than 2, your UW GPA should be higher with the course dropped than if it is counted.
A higher GPA/class rank is generally better than having an individual class on your transcript unless the class(es) you drop will result in your GC marking down the “rigor” of your overall course selection or if the college(s) you are shooting for strongly suggest X years of courses in particular areas, and now you will fall short. If this course is a core course (like English, math or a science) and dropping it will result in only 3 years of study, if you are talking T30, including some Ivies, I would not drop the course and work like mad to not get a C. Alternatively, you might consider dropping a level of difficulty (e.g. AP Chem to Chem H or regular Chem) if you see no hope of raising your grade and the class is otherwise putting you in jeopardy of lower grades in other classes.
Thank you for putting the time in writing this. I should probably clarify that the GPA I’m talking about is my 10-11 UW GPA. I would have 22 As and 5 Bs but likely a C in my senior year, vs 21 As and 7 Bs but all As senior year. Which looks better in terms of admission. The class is a foreign language class by the way.
Still not understanding your calculations on GPA. Because you asked about a mid year report, I am assuming you are a senior applying this year. Your 10-11 grades and GPA are already fixed no matter what you do senior year. It’s history. Are you saying that you have to take the foreign language course your senior year to get credit for an A in a prior year? Never heard of that. Or, are you a junior?
Regardless, is the foreign language course you are proposing to drop level 4 or 5? If 5, I think you are fine because my understanding and experience is that you have already fulfilled the 4 year foreign language “recommendation” of the tippy tops. If it is level 4, then you need to go back to each school on your list to see which recommend 4 vs 3. If you are a junior and this is a level 3 FL, having only 2 years of a FL may be problematical at top schools.
I’m a current junior and I’m predicting the grades I will get for this year. I’m confident I can get an A in every class except Spanish 3. So if I drop Spanish 3 this year, than I can get a 3.81 UW gpa. But, when I take it again senior year I’ll have a C on my midyear report. Alternatively, I can continue taking Spanish 3 and get 2 Bs making my UW gpa 3.75, but I won’t have a C on my mid year report. I’m not sure which looks better to colleges.
So you’re predicting your grades a year and a half from now?
Do not drop Spanish. FL is very tough to pick back up and my feeling is if you are struggling now, you will only struggle even more senior year. Work with your teacher, get a tutor, study with a partner…whatever you need to do to be successful. You don’t want to be in a position where you could end up with a D in Spanish as a senior and have acceptances revoked.
Yeah I have a high grade in all my classes, and don’t find them too difficult except Spanish. I know the rigor of the senior year teachers. That’s why I said I’m confident this will be my GPA.
Either way though I’d assume having a 3.81 won’t get me admitted over having a 3.75 with the same ECs and test scores.