While receiving a “C” will impact your GPA, it will certainly not ruin it. That "C" won"t ruin your chances of getting into college either. However, how leniently colleges view the “C” will largely depend on what grade you received it in. Generally, a "C" freshman year of high school is attributed to the middle to high school "adjustment." Thus, colleges are more lenient. This is especially if a student shows an upward trend in their grades over the course of high school.  Remember, colleges may be a little less willing to forgive a “C” grade in one’s junior or senior year. Colleges may see this as a sign that a student is not as “college-ready” as their peers. However, this does not mean that you’ll be rejected since most colleges review applications holistically. It’s also good to note that receiving a “C” is less “acceptable” at more competitive schools than others- it’s all relative.