Will Math Issues Hinder College Chances?Answered
Hey! I'm a current junior in high school.
Long story short, I struggle in math. Like, severely--it just has never in my entire life clicked for me. I have had tutoring, stayed after for math help, have never failed a math class, and some more things to show that I have spent time trying to understand math.
Because of said struggle, I have a C and a D+ on my transcript in math classes. These are my lowest grades. Everything else is B+s and primarily As. I'm in three college courses this year, and have been in honors classes every year in high school.
I have shown decent extracurriculars, which I hope balances it out a bit?
-I'm on my school's JV Quiz Bowl team and a varsity sub
-Have had art featured in an exhibit at a community college
-Work after school as a sales associate
-Have written an unpublished novel
-Am currently in the National Honors Society, and
-Independently study human biology and astronomy, and have taken medical-school courses online via Lecturio and some astronomy and neurology classes on Coursera.
This is ignoring some other things, such as selling some things, a history with advanced and classic (specifically European) literature, poetry, language classes, and some more.
My question is how severely will my math struggles impact my chances? It just simply does not click with me. I know my current achievements aren't that impressive in comparison with what many colleges will be seeing, but I just need to know if they balance out even slightly my math issues.
Thank you!
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2 answers
Hi @iamrae!
Based on your independent studying, it looks like you're a med school aspirant. Although math isn't as heavily used in biology as in engineering, you will definitely have to study some level of calculus as a biology major in college. Math struggles are common among students and colleges know that. That's why most colleges have their math placement tests that you give after being admitted. These placement tests allow your advisors to see how you're at math and based on the score, they'll advise you on an appropriate class to begin with.
Your math struggles will have a greater impact on admissions at top places (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc.) because they want people who can keep up with their academic rigor. However, the impact won't be as significant at a state school that has an acceptance rate of over 70%. Your major is also another factor. You can apply as a journalism or history major to increase your chances, but that's not a good idea unless your career goal is something in the arts.
Hope this helps!
Hey, your chances of admission will depend on the college. With bad grades in math, it is not a good idea to apply to a stem-focused school like MIT or Caltech. You should try more liberal arts colleges as they will be more lenient with your math grades. Even after this, I hope your major isn't related or focused much on math like computer science or physics otherwise bad grades in math will impact your chances of admission by a lot. On a good note, not everyone has amazing academic capabilities in all subjects, and having strong ECs will defiantly help balance out your grades. Good luck with the admission process!
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I am looking to go into medical school, yes. I haven't exactly looked into biology as a major, but I wouldn't incredibly be opposed to it. I have been looking into a few state schools, as well as non-state ones, so I do plan on e-mailing them and asking how heavily my grades might impact my chances on a school-by-school basis. I'm hoping the ones I'm really looking at won't make it a priority. Thank you so much for the reply--I'll keep what you said in mind!