Will 1st semester grades ruin my chances?

Colleges & Universities Duke University
1

<p>My 1st semester grades are going to be pretty sad, with 4 Bs, albeit in hard classes. Is this going to screw over my chances at Duke?</p>

<p>SAT I: 2320 (M 790, CR 770, W 760)
SATII: US history (780), Chemistry 780, Math II 760</p>

<p>GPA (prior to my fall :frowning: ) 4.28/4.38 top 2% </p>

<p>APs: 5 on Biology, US history (self study), Statistics
4 on Chemistry (self study)</p>

<p>ECs:
400 hours volunteer work at a local senior home, received President’s Student Service Award
President of Amnesty International at school, 4 years
SF Bay Area Coordinator Amnesty International, 2 years
California Scholarship Federation 4 years membership, Vice President this year
Other random volunteer</p>

<p>Summers:
Volunteered in Honduras, living with a host family for 8 weeks, building latrines, teaching hygeine to kindergarten aged children.
Harvard Summer School Psychology A, Neurobiology B</p>

2

<p>actually i saw a similar type of post/question by kingsfan on another thread, although not many people responded</p>

3

<p>not sure…</p>

<p>can’t seem to find any real advice</p>

4

<p>A friend of mine said that her admissions officer said 1st semester grades are a big deal as Duke considers senior year the best indicator of how you will perform in college. I wouldn’t panic though…you have a killer application otherwise.</p>