<p>today, i got the results of my finals back. turns out, being the only sophomore in my school to take two ap classes has its drawbacks. in the frenzy of studying for the hardest workload in my graduating class of over 600 people, i ended up getting a 3.16 weighted gpa. my report card was filled with B+s and C+s. what now?</p>
<p>weighted? wow. i mean youre only a soph so if you can get those grades up next year colleges will definitely appreciate the upwards trend. what aps are/did you take?</p>
<p>That sucks. Make sure next year you take a workload you can handle. An upward trend will help you a lot.</p>
<p>if my weighted gpa goes up to a 4.0 (i am CONFIDENT i can achieve this. CONFIDENT) next semester, will colleges overlook my first semester of sophomore year?</p>
<p>also, i will hopefully still be in the top 10%.</p>
<p>They won't overlook it, but it won't affect you as much.
Also, while it's great to challenge yourself, I don't believe you'll get more "points," if you will, for going BEYOND the most challenging course load. The only thing it could help you with would be a counselor recommendation.
Try to have fun in high school, life isn't just about getting into college :)</p>
<p>Why do you want to go to UPENN?</p>
<p>@sabster,
hahahahahhahah. following that advice is exactly why i am in this position now.</p>
<p>@joshuaguit,
for wharton.</p>
<p>anyone else!?!?!?!??</p>
<p>It depends. Taking 2 AP's Sophomore year really shouldn't result in such low grades. If you balance them out with high grades second semester and Junior year you'll be alright, but only if you continue to take the most rigorous course-load. If you can manage to apply with over a 3.75UW you'll still have a good chance (well, as good as anyone else applying to such a selective school) at Wharton.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm the only soph taking two AP's as well. First quarter killed me because I couldn't figure out how to study and manage my time and got B/B+. This quarter I've gotten a bit better and have A-/A-. It just takes a little time to adjust and colleges will understand.</p>
<p>I know everyone likes feel good posts, but telling kids colleges 'will understand' or ignore things is just bad advice. </p>
<p>All the OP can do is keep working hard, learn study strategies and do his best. Maybe a study skills summer program could help. Colleges will also be impressed by academic work summers and outside of school. A community college class in the areas where you got C's could look really good.There are many great colleges. Setting your sites on Wharton is tough even with a 4.0/2300. Last year I saw more people with those stats get rejected than accepted.</p>
<p>honestly, if you want to know the truth, tons of kids takes two AP sophomore year at my school. so it is not as impressive as you think it is.<br>
honestly, just do what your best! if it is your best , college will appreciate it if you give your all, not just academically:)</p>
<p>Class rank is WAY more important for uPenn according to collegeboard. Only about 63% had a 3.75 or higher which is very low percentage. But 90 something percent ranked top10</p>
<p>Dude Wharton is a hard nut to crack but if you can start droppin 4.0's for the rest of your high school career and if you can put on a show with your SAT's, SAT II's, or ACT... then you have a chance! It's not all about the GPA too though, don't forget that! And yes, class rank is a big deal at Penn, so if something like a 3.75 can get you into the top 5% or so, you might be in good shape! Good luck, but don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work out, because as others have said: it's not all about getting into college.</p>
<p>The numbers at Penn reflect the fact that an unusually high percentage come from the Country's top prep school--more than at any other ivy.</p>
<p>@hmom5: Not sure if this is true, but when I actually went to the Penn info session at Penn the admissions officer discussed that she understands that at schools there is a big difference between fresh/soph year because you jump up from pretty standard classes to AP/honors so it's understandable to have a slightly lower quarter or semester than average. Of course it would be preferable to have equally strong semesters, but it sounded like that was a common occurence and just shows a period of adjustement.</p>
<p>@raiderade,
thnx for that info. good to know.</p>
<p>Raiderade, as someone who went to Wharton, worked in Penn admissions and has interviewed for Penn for 25 years, I can assure you she meant a dip from straight A's to a couple of A minuses or a dreaded B plus or (hushed tones) maybe 2 if they are your only blemish.</p>
<p>And it is all about rank. At many schools no one gets a 4.0 and at others, 20% of every class does.</p>
<p>^That does make sense, a big drop would not look good at all.</p>
<p>I'll be really surprised if you get in, here's the stats of someone who got rejected (stole it from the penn 2013 decision thread)</p>
<p>Admission status:rejected
* School applied to: Wharton
* SAT CR: 710
* SAT Math: 800
* SAT Writing: 690
* SAT Total: 2200
* SAT II: Biology E- 800, Math 2- 800, US History- 780, World History- 750
* ACT: 34
* AP/IB taken/scores: Bio-5 World- 5 U.S History- 5 Stats-5 Spanish-5
* GPA unweighted: 3.7
* Rank or % estimate: top 5 percent</p>