<p>I'm currently in my Junior year of High School and I go to a specialized high school in New York. I'm doing terribly.</p>
<p>I'm struggling with bulimia and depression and feelings of complete and utter hopelessness and self repulsion. My junior year started off terribly. I've missed several morning classes from arriving late, trips to the hospital for checkups and evaluation for treatment. Now I have to go to a nutritionist once every week before school starts which means I'll be missing even more classes. </p>
<p>I failed both my spanish test and my US History test. I got a 70 on a math test and an 80 on a physics test.
I've never been this low before. I've always been an A-B student.</p>
<p>What am I going to do? Are there any online courses I can take? Anything that can help me boost my grade? This is my junior year! I'll end up at a community college at the rate I'm going. </p>
<p>I need as much advice as I can get. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi nzou1214,</p>
<p>First of all, I think you need to solve your health issues right now. Those are way more important than your grades. Take a breath, take a break, step away from school for a moment and just get your mind straight. Your grades can be changed, your health can suffer forever. Please just always put your well-being before your grades, a lot of students do this and it is NOT healthy.</p>
<p>Next, we are just beginning the school year. You had a rough start and that is abnormal for you, but junior year is the hardest year (that’s why it counts the most). Just take it day by day as far as assignments go (unless its a test). Try not to stress out, your grades will rise to your normal A-B Status. You will be fine.</p>
<p>Again, we are at the beginning of a school year. Don’t freak out, don’t worry about online courses. You have enough on your plate as far as your health goes and your grades. Don’t put any more stress on your shoulders that you can’t handle right now. </p>
<p>You will not end up at community college, you will go as far as you can take yourself. You’re a smart kid, make smart decisions. </p>
<p>Good luck with the new school year, take it slow, remember this is only the beginning. Put your health before anything right now. You’ll be okay.</p>
<p>Take it one step at a time. Ask to meet with the teachers for the classes you missed due to medical appointments (make sure they know you’re not skipping, but away for medical reasons - you don’t need to explain further what the nature of the medical reason is).
Try to get some explanations, ask questions then, request extra credit.
Your grades should stabilize soon.</p>
<p>If all fails, remember that now Bard does not care about your GPA, they want you to write 4 essays (8-10 pages each, so, not an easy task) out of 21 possible questions. If your papers get a B+, you get in; if you get a B, you’re invited to submit the CommonApp. So, between your instate options and Bard, plus other colleges with very holistic admissions (taking everything into account), you’ll be able to attend a pretty good school that “fits” you. So, now, focus on getting better - the grades will follow. :)</p>
<p>Thank you.
Your post made me emotional, but in my household, grades are equivalent to self worth. And I’ve never been a high 90s student. All I’m responsible for are my grades, and I can’t even manage that. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, high school grades practically dictate the rest of your life. </p>
<p>But thank you for the much needed advice. Really.</p>
<p>Thank you. I really hate to ask teachers for favors, but I’ll see what I can squeeze out of them :)</p>
<p>Can you recommend other notable colleges with holistic admission processes?</p>
<p>nzou1214,
you must inform the colleges in Common App additional info by telling that you had Health Issues. YOu must TELL THEM!!! add inFO ISN"T FOR NOTHING!</p>
<p>Also, you can write an essay about you struggle and how you acted or tried to act against your struggle.</p>
<p>high school grades do NOT dictate the rest of your life. In fact, what matters is for you to find a good “fit” for college, where you’ll be offered lots of opportunities, and then that you seize those opportunities. Brand-name prestige does not matter, what matters is what you do once there, whether your classmates and professors are engaged and supportive, whether you try to take advantage of opportunities (whether these opportunities are there to start with :p)…
I’d recommend you look into smaller LACs. Fill out the “request information” or “join our mailing list” from a bunch of different colleges such as Agnes Scott (Atlanta) and Simmons (Boston), Muhlenberg, Allegheny, Juniata ¶, Albion, Alma (MI), Wooster, Hiram, Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg (Ohio), Goucher (MD)… You’ll see that your application interests them 
and you’ll be able to think more calmly about college.</p>