C in Calc III

[shep753]

I’m a college reapplicant after not receiving a nomination last year. I’ve gotten a B in college Calculus I, A- for Calculus II, but really struggled with Calculus III and only got a C+ which is going to be on my first semester transcript. I just received my nomination from my Senator and I have good SAT scores (1560), so will this bad calculus grade possibly prevent me from getting an appointment? How big of a deal would it be?

 

[Heatherg21]

Deep breaths. No one here can tell you definitively what this means in terms of your candidacy and your chances.
Your test score is awesome. You are taking a STEM schedule which is good.
You have a nomination from a Senator which isn’t easy to obtain.
We can’t see your medical or physical and none of us read your essays or sat in on your interviews.
Leave it all on the table and let it be. This process is so long and convoluted, you have to control what you can and cast the rest to the wind.
Good luck to you. I love a reapplicant. My son’s best friend at USNA is a reapplicant. He is a beast. He is academically ahead, validated several classes. Mature, athletic, balanced and even keeled. He brings so much to his company mates.
Pulling for you.

 

[Kierkegaard]

That’s a very difficult class. I doubt it disqualifies you. I think it’s good that you chose to challenge yourself by keeping with the calc sequence.

 

[Don't Give Up the Ship]

Perhaps you can write a letter to your Admissions Officer, explaining that your not satisfied with the C+ and intend (if you do so intend) to re-take Calc III while at the Yard (most majors require calc III - I belive). If you learned anything about yourself, motivation, time management, etc., include that. It does appear you have a lot to offer USNA. Don't Give Up the Ship! Make this letter short.

 

[usnabgo08]

Decisions are not made in a vacuum - your entire record will be looked at (including college testing scores), with focus on ALL STEM courses and difficulty level (regular, honors, AP, etc.) from your transcripts. Given that you were pretty far along on the math track, I would imagine that is taken into consideration. You did good in Calc I and significantly better in Calc II. As other posters have said, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I would focus on what would you do differently and if there is an opportunity to explain what you would change (particularly if you attend USNA), that might help mitigate a little. However, again, you probably have a track record on your performance in STEM courses which will be reviewed.

 

[Dr. Strange Love]

.
Calc III is mostly about introducing Vector Calculus. It makes Math simpler … it should be the easiest …

Everything in Life is “Fields and Gradients” … True in Physics and Engineering and True in Data Sciences, AI and Machine Learning.
.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

Worry about what you can control.... If all other parts of your application are strong, then you should be okay. Keep in mind, many of the decision makers went through college at a time when a C in Calculus would have been considered very good. ( I had two F's in Calculus when I came home from NAPS at Christmas long long ago -- Long story, but I turned it around and got into USNA).

 

[LT360]

.
Calc III is mostly about introducing Vector Calculus. It makes Math simpler … it should be the easiest …

Everything in Life is “Fields and Gradients” … True in Physics and Engineering and True in Data Sciences, AI and Machine Learning.
.

I wish I had that experience....my downward path, back in the day, went from B+ in Calc 1 to C- in Diff Eq. Which is probably why I moved from hardcore engineering roles into project management roles.

 

[MidCakePa]

Adding to the terrific advice given by others: The good news and bad news is, should you attend USNA, you’ll get to take Calc III all over again! Subject mastery is a good thing.

 

[CrewDad]

I’m a college reapplicant after not receiving a nomination last year. I’ve gotten a B in college Calculus I, A- for Calculus II, but really struggled with Calculus III and only got a C+ which is going to be on my first semester transcript. I just received my nomination from my Senator and I have good SAT scores (1560), so will this bad calculus grade possibly prevent me from getting an appointment? How big of a deal would it be?

I don't think it's a big deal as long as you don't have more than one C+ this Fall. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Finish your application and Enjoy your Christmas!