Can I get into a decent UC if I got a D in Chinese?

Question

I am overall a pretty good student. I take several APs and got 2040 on my SAT I and 730 on my SAT II. But for Chinese I totally fluncked and got 3 C's and a D over two years. My attempts to make up the grade met with similar succuess. Can I still get into a good UC?

Answer 1

Sure. They're likely going to look to see what brought your GPA down and not hold it against you if you struggle with one language (especially if you address it in your admissions letters). However, if your overall GPA is low because of other classes, too, that might hurt your chances. Sell yourself in the materials you submit. Hopefully you've already done this if you plan to start in the Fall.

Answer 2

What is a "good" UC to you? UCLA? UC Berkely? UCSD? I really don't know what you mean by "good" or "decent".

Anyway, if your GPA and class rank is still top-notch, then I don't see why not. By top-notch I mean at least a 3.7 and a class rank of top 5%. However, if those C's and D's really effected your GPA and class rank, then it will be hard. Colleges will see the bad grades on your transcript no matter what, and if there wasn't really a reason for getting those poor grades, then it will effect you in terms of admissions.