When they are looking at the high school transcript.......................?

Question

I am in 10th grade and taken a class that was not required without realizing it(AP computer science 1, JAVA, I already have a technology credit from 9th grade). Now the class is getting harder and making C's. My counselor says I can drop it after 1st semester. My other grades are good, A's. I did not tell the counselor I would be applying at ivy leagues. what impact is it gonna make if I drop the class now? It is gonna show up on the transcript that I have taken the class but dropped in 2nd semester. But I have other required courses to take...PE, Health, speech. I cannot afford to go to summer school, either. My parents are PhD. students...We are on loan. Will ivy leages understand that? Beside I am new to US from south asia. Don't know English fluently...yet I have taken Pre-AP class(English, too).

Answer 1

If you have completed the first semester of this class and decide not to take it second semester, your transcript will not show that you have dropped it. If you start it second semester and then drop out, however, it will show that you dropped it. If you will have enough total credits without it, I would suggest that you not take this class second semester.

The above has been true in each school I have worked in as a registrar, but you should check with your registrar or guidance counselor to be doubly sure that this is the policy for your school.

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Answer 2

Well, let's see. I went to Brown for undergrad, so I can hopefully say some things.

In terms of grades, the Ivies like to see things as close to spotless as possible, but if there's one thing on there, even in 10-12, it won't kill your chances, especially if everything else is in good shape. As for the parents being PhD students and you living on loan, I do not think the Ivies will even know about it unless you explain it to them (which couldn't hurt if you get a bad grade in this class or something.....most of the Ivies include an optional essay question that roughly says "Is there anything else you'd like us to know that hasn't been included in your essay?" and that would be a good place for such a comment). As for how understanding they'd be, I'm not really sure. All you can do is tell them and hope for the best.

The most important parts of a college application for an Ivy are the teacher recommendations and the essays. The grades and the SAT scores and extracurriculars are almost always good among every applicant so you need to stand out in other ways.

The last thing you need to know is that getting into an Ivy is one of the hardest things for a high schooler to do, and A LOT of qualified students are turned away, so if you don't get in it's not the end of the world, and if you're persistent, you'll get in somewhere and do well with what you have.

Good luck!

Answer 3

For ivy league admission, any drop is bad (especially in 10-12th grades). Unfortunately any C is bad. So, there are 2 ways you can handle this.

1. stay in the class and get a tutor, to bring your grade up to an A
2. drop at the semester, and make absolutely certain that you ace all your classes. If you do this, you have to ensure that you end the class with an A or B.

College admissions is usually operated on a point scale. YOu get points for your SAT and PSAT scores, points for your GPA in high school, points for your entrance essay and application, points for your interview, and points for being "well-rounded." There are other things you get points for, but those are out of your control--being a legacy student, for example. So, what you have to do is identify your weaknesses and shore them up, while making sure to get the maximum points possible in other areas.

For example, dropping the class will cost you some points on your GPA because you're dropping an AP class. BUT, if you earn a 4.0 or similar that will bring your points up. Also, if you focus on getting your test scores high, being involved in a variety of extra-curriculars, and acing your interview, your dropped course will not hurt you too much.

If your parents are PhD students, there should be a variety of activities you can get involved in through the university if you need to. When my dad was doing his doctoral work, we were involved in summer camp, swim lessons, music classes, etc. . .all discounted because we were family of students.

You also may wish to have your parents talk to the admissions counselor at their grad school. You may not be applying there, but admissions counselors are awesome at knowing the system at most schools. They are also notorious for wanting to be helpful to people who want to go to college.

hope that helps.

good luck.