Hi I’m a highschooler who is an upcoming sophomore. I just finished school and I ended English with a B+. Throughout the year I’ve been getting As and A-'s. This is my first B+ and my parents have been putting a lot of pressure on me and I’m not sure if my dream college- University of Chicago, University of Madison will accept me. Please let me know if I’m doomed or if I still have a chance!
Does it have a knife with it? If not it’s not going to kill you? Let not be so dramatic.
Chicago looks more at your essays. I don’t know much about Madison but from what I’ve read, it’s probably not.
Oh, the drama.
It’s certainly not going to kill you for UW. As for Chicago, I’m 99% certain that whether you get accepted or rejected will not be as a result of one B+.
don’t worry I think you’ll be just fine. Just try to keep all As from now on, and your colleges will see the upward trend!
You still have a chance as long as you develop into a well rounded student! like skieurope said, if you happen to get rejected, it won’t be because you got a B+ 
In fact, I’d be willing to say that even if tragedy strikes and you get another B or two in the course of your high school career, they will not kill your chances at these schools. The top schools are NOT full of 4.0 kids. They reject tons of 4.0 kids (and gleefully report it at every convocation for some reason), while also pointing out all the 2400 SAT kids that they rejected. It seems to give them pleasure to point this out, perhaps to make the point that once you’ve made the academic threshold for their particular institution (Common Data Set, Section C is your friend here), they are much more interested in what else you bring to the table: talents, ambitions, goals, perspectives, etc…So don’t get hung up on perfect at the expense of turning into an interesting person who tries things, accepts challenges and sometimes gets a B.
For UChicago, it would not be great as a junior but as a Freshman it is fine. UW is a little less competitive
Also, maybe it is a mistake, have your parents look into it if you have been getting As all year. My friend once had an English teacher add really wrong. This was a mid year grade. She got a 92 on the first test or paper and an 86 on the second. The second counted more but the teacher gave her an 86 on her report card (nothing else counted, no homework or class part grade). Her mother called and apparently the teacher forgot to add in the first grade (into everyone’s not just my friend’s, OOPS). If she had not been paying attention her grade would have been lower
You’re a freshman. This makes me so sad. Get rid of your college confidential account until the end of your Junior year, okay? Or maybe just get rid of it forever. This is a very unhealthy environment and you poor soul are getting sucked into it. The fact that you mentioned your parents indicates to me that the B+ is not what you’re really worried about. See your school counselor and get a conversation going about perfectionism, pressure, and what truly makes successful and happy people. Getting into the “right” college isn’t going to do as much for you as you think. Especially not if you are burnt out, unhappy and just an applicant, not a real person. If you’re worried about your English, forget about the grade and spend the summer reading and writing. Read everything–newspapers, Brain Pickings, magazines, books, text books, history books, novels, screenplays, everything. And write about what you’ve read. It’s fun! It’s a great way to develop critical analysis skills, learn, and challenge yourself. Self motivation is what is going to get you into college and then beyond college. That motivation doesn’t always mean perfect scores, it means doing cool things because you REALLY want to. Try doing stuff that will never go on an application. And try compromising with your parents. Or even better, challenge them (in your head as a thought experiment, you don’t have to be contentious). Good luck. The B+ will only kill you if you let it–as a concept and a mythology–destroy you.
IMO, once one is in high school, the days of getting mommy and daddy to fight your battles are over. If the teacher did make a calculation error, the student should be more than capable of pointing that out.
You clearly do not go to school in my neighborhood.
Most students would not even realize that the teacher made a calculation error. Most students do not keep track of their grades (even when told to). The only reason my friend realized was because her mother knew about both grades and there were only 2 and could not understand how my friend got an 86. At first the teacher just glossed over it when my friend brought it up.
It depends on the culure of your school. There is one school I know where the administration will primarily talk to students and will take their complaints seriously and address them. Parents are discouraged from calling. At another students get the run around and parents get answers. Sure, from the point of you of wearing your big boy pants, sure address it yourself. From the point of view of effecting a change, do whatever your school culture demands. So it should not be a blanket statement. The first step is determining if it is a mistake. One downside is that it is in English which can be more subjective. Does the OP know all the grades he received through the year? That would be a first. Plus there are certain things parents can say to teachers that a kid cannot. OP is still a minor unless he is an 18 year old freshman. Parents have an interest in this at this age
Especially since parents are the ones paying for college, higher grades mean more merit money, lower cost (sorry OP not trying to stress you out, you are FINE with a Freshman B+). So OP is not alone in this and should not act like he is unless it will otherwise disadvantage him in appealing the grade.