<p>i've always been a smart kid, lost a big amount of interest at the start of middle school and basically have been the same since then. in 9th grade i cut a load, wanted to change schools and was faced with the ultimanium of being left back if i xfer. i ended up taking this, so i took the 9th grade over. i'm now in 10th grade, and my gpa is still at a staggering 2.0 (a little less last year). </p>
<p>i've been tested for my IQ and i measured at genius level, i know this means nothing and i am in no situation to brag but i just know i can do well if i really commit myself. i currently take one honor class in my school, which is math B. </p>
<p>so what are my chances for the ivyleagues? are they out completely, or if i turn around with a 180 will they forget the crap and consider me? if not, the notch below? oh and..i think i could get perfect, or at least very good on the SAT (my writing is not fantastic, as you can see).</p>
<p>You're definitely at a disadvantage for the Ivies (I'm assuming from my limited experience) solely because of your GPA. Even if you turned everything around and got a 2400/36, you would have to somehow make yourself stand out. Are you a legacy? Do you have a certain skill? I know a kid who's going to Dartmouth with a 3.6, but he got in because he was recruited at summer football camps.
I don't mean this as a joke, but have you considered U of Michigan? They have a stellar biz. school, and don't consider freshman grades.
Best of luck with your high school career; just try to focus on your strengths (seemingly everything) and use them the best you can. Colleges certainly look for gifted students (which you obviously are) but they also look for diligent workers and well-rounded members of society. Will you be able to fit those standards two years from now? Only you can determine that.</p>
<p>thanks for you reply man. it's ridiculous how top colleges would stress those early years, despite the obvious change in academic performance as well as attitude. </p>
<p>i do have another question, though. across these incredible applications i see in this forum, they are all riddled with "AP XXXX". my school is a pretty average catholic school, they will accept you if you are able to breathe, and of course pay them money. i know they have honors classes, but i hear very little of any advanced placement. how would i go about getting these APs on my card? do i have to self-study and take a test, go to a community college, etc?</p>
<p>You need to see your counselor (sp?) and be tested for ADD and/or other learning disabilities. If you are genius level, unless you are sleeping in class or something else is wrong, you should do better than a 2.0. I never did that poorly, but I did learn that I lacked short-term memory (so needed to take notes) and know, looking back that I was ADHD (which caffiene was enough to overcome). I was in grad school before I made the same or better grades than those I informally tutored, but I don't remember any 2.0's for the year.</p>
<p>The reality is, most top-notch colleges (and now even "lesser" ones) want to see lots of AP's. If your school doesn't offer them, you will have to explain so on your applications, and iterate the fact that you've challenged yourself as much as possible at your school.
The AP tests are (I think usually) administered at the high school by teachers who teach registered AP courses. I took the AP English Lang., for example, in May of last year for my Junior AP English course. You can take the SAT II subject tests (kind of like the APs) at many local HS's, though you can probably wait a year to take them. Just relax for now, and try to do your very best in school. You'll get to the (fun) test taking next year XD</p>
<p>granny - i was tested like 2 years ago for ADD, ADHD, and some other related learning disabilities. i do have attention problems, but not really on the level of which medication would be worthy. i get bad grades because i don't put in proper effort, i miss school a lot, and rarely do my homework. i wasn't born with the knowledge of who the monarch in france was 300 years ago, so if i'm not there taking in the information i don't know it.</p>
<p>iono man, that GPA can kill you, but then again, one of my friends got a 2.4 GPA but a 1580 SAT score (the old scale SATs) and he got into Duke..........</p>
<p>bad GPA does not necessarily means an automatic rejection from ivy. but you need serious work to make a turn around. think ap classes and extracurriculars</p>
<p>I would say that ivys are off the table. They could take many many kids just as bright as you with far better work ethic and who will make far more positive of an impact. Unless you do a serious 180 and start pulling out 4.0s i would eliminate all top and second tier colleges.</p>
<p>I don't understand, you know what you're doing wrong and you know what you need to do to fix it, yet you still dont?</p>
<p>tyler - my attitude for school and work has taken a complete 180, which is why i posted this. while i have nothing to show for it now, i wanted to know what my chances are when i do.</p>
<p>If you intend to apply with the attitude you're showing here, you will not get in anywhere.</p>
<p>When i see someone say "I've been proven to be a genius", i know right away they're a pompous moron. Others will too. They don't give a crap if you've had 10 IQ tests. If you can't demonstrate that you're of use to them academically, then they will never take you.</p>
<p>I'm not one to talk, i'm a senior with a 3.0. But, i have always been in the toughest courses and have done well on AP tests, which shows i gained something. They will see none of that from you, you really have nothing to show for yourself. Your only shot is to stop sitting there thinking "im actually a genius" and get something accomplished.</p>
<p>communisthunter - nah man i really didn't mean to come off as pompous, i just wanted to say that i know i can do well on these standardized tests. again, sorry if you took it that way. </p>
<p>btw, to anyone - what is a 75/100 avg the equiv of a 2.0? because that's what i got</p>
<p>I think 2.0 is a 70/100, so i guess you're in the 2.5 range? That isn't all that bad.</p>
<p>Just turn things around if you know you can. You don't have to be perfect, at least get above the 3.0 range, and you should be alright. They like upward trends as you go through the grades.</p>
<p>communisthunter - thanks, i guess that's somewhat of a reassurance. </p>
<p>i got a Q for you if you dont mind - in one of your last posts, you said how you take a bunch of AP courses. i go to a catholic school and they dont offer that here, how would i go about getting some AP classes on my record? do i have to take actual college courses or something like that?</p>
<p>If you really think you can handle it, buy some AP guide books (theres hundreds of them), teach yourself whatever AP courses you want, and sign up on collegeboard to take hte tests. If you do well, you get the credit. The fact that you taught yourself in a school where these courses aren't even available will look pretty awesome, maybe even to the ivies.</p>
<p>Both Princeton and Stanford throw out freshman year grades when considering admissions--and Yale discounts them compared to other things. However, you do need to not only improve the grades, but also start making yourself stand out in other ways (as already indicated on here by others).</p>
<p>Start now and show you can do it and Ivies/Ivy-level schools are still possible. Wait until this year is over and your chances will also be over.</p>