Advice for the mislead and desperate

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>First Quarter has just passed... UGH! I didn't do well as I wanted to and I hate it. As a freshmen in high school, I know some of you might thing that I shouldn't bother myself with grades too much, but I can't let this go.
My first high school report card looked like this: </p>

<p>Alg.2/ Geom/ Trig Honors : B- ( Unfortunately, not everyone is a math genius)
English 1 : A- ( I should've worked harder for an A... it<br>
wasn't as if this was English 1 honors)
French 1 : A- ( Again with an A- in a standard class)
Health Ed: A- ( O.K., I know it's just Health, but hey a<br>
class is a class)
Inro to Compu : B+ ( Now THIS! is an embarrassement! A B+ in
an Introduction course)
Phys Ed: A- ( What can you say... it's a pattern with me)
Physical Science: A- ( I should've been in honors, but with an A-
in a standard course, how could I have<br>
handled HONORS!)
Theology 1: A- ( Well, maybe God can help me on this one
next quarter)
World History: A ( Sigh... my pride and joy, my precious.) </p>

<p>Now, I know what some of you might be saying: What a cry baby? I wasted my time listening to her trivial problems.
I understand. However, now a days getting a B+ is considered average and insignificant even in a honors course. Looking at some of the grades posted on this board, it's easy to feel discouraged and insecure about yours. And that's what's happening to me and I have a 3.6 gpa. On top of that I take piano and vocal lessons. I'm in the key society and the gospel choir. I'm about to begin volunteering at my local hospital on tuesdays and tutor disadvantaged kids on thursdays. Not to mention I attend a private high school that has rigorous curriculum that demands devotion. My high school sends kids( usually, there the ones at the top of the class, however) to top colleges, such as Harvard, Tufts, Boston College, and Penn State. Nonetheless, it's rigorous.
What I want to know is am I mislead? Are my gpa ( I think it's waited beacause I take an Honors course) and grades good. Am I on the right track to a successful high school career? Is it normal to earn a 4.0 gpa anyways?</p>

2

<p>It obviously isn't normal to get a 4.0 unweighted GPA. </p>

<p>Calm down. What are you a freshmen or sophomore?</p>

3

<p>I'm a freshmen who needs a vacation. But, you are right. I do need to calm down. I see I was getting carried away for a moment there. Grades aren't everything, especially as a freshmen, and I don't view them as everything. I do have a huge social life outside of school that definitely doesn't involve the Pythagorean Theorem, To Kill a Mockingbird, or lab reports believe or not. I'm just confused about what is a good gpa and what is not and where do I stand. I realize the only thing my freshmen year grades can do for me is get me into honors courses next year as a sophmore. Still, listening to what my parents say and hearing about the superhuman achievements of some kids in my high school, I feel pressured to do better.</p>

4

<p>It's very easy to feel overwhelmed as a freshmen (I know I was)...you're trying to get acclimated to a new social and academic setting on top of extracurriculars, jobs, family/religious committments, etc. My advice for you is to just take a deep breath and relax. You're just at the beginning of a new stage of your life, your first quarter grades of your freshman year are not going to make you or break you in terms of colleges. Admissions officers know and understand that the first semester of high school is difficult, and they pay much more attention to your junior and senior years anyway. Basically, what they are looking for is an upward trend in grades - they want you to gradually improve and continue to take hard classes throughout high school. I had good, but not great grades as a freshman (and horrible studying habits), but my junior year really taught me to apply myself. Basically, I turned into a workaholic. My advice for you would not be to weigh yourself down about your grades - they're over and done with. I would concentrate on developing strong extracurriculars (such as your piano talents) because colleges love to see committment to a few areas over a period of time rather than an applicant who joins ten clubs 2nd semester of their junior year. Yes, I wish I didn't get that B- in geometry my freshman year, but you can't let minor details hold you back. In conclusion to this extremely long-winded post, enjoy your freshman year - you have a blank slate and lots of time working in your favor! :)</p>

5

<p>Well
a) If you think you could have done better, go work harder, it's that simple
b) If you think you could have done better but don't want to work harder for whatever reason, that's okay, but admit it to yourself and stop complaining.
c) If you don't think you could have done any better no matter how much you tried, rethink that - you're probably wrong. Don't underestimate yourself. :)
d) If you actually couldn't have done better, take a step back! 3.6 GPA in a competitive private HS and you're complaining?!</p>