Am I not doing enough for college?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! I’m a soon-to-be sophmore at my local high school in the US.
So, my freshman year really sucked. It wasn’t just my grades that
were awful, but I had a lot of family issues (that I’d rather not go into
detail with) and now that I’ve gotten past all that junk, I’m afraid that
the baggage of that year will haunt me for the rest of high school and
will mess up my chances of getting into college.
Let me explain:
Freshman year, I took very basic courses. I was in IA World History, World Literature 9, Level One Chorus, Spanish 2, Honors Biology, and Honors Algebra 2 with Trig. Basically, I took two “freshman” classes (Literature and Chorus), one “advanced freshman” class (History), two “sophmore” classes (Bio and Spanish 2), and one “junior” class (Honors Algebra 2 with Trig). I also was in HOSA (Health Occupation Student Association) and Key Club (Charity based club) for first semester, but I dropped out because of personal circumstances within those clubs. I was on the JV Tennis team for my school as well. Sounds kind of okay, I guess, but my GPAs were awful, since I got 3.5s. I really wanted to get a 4.0 unweighted GPA like my older siblings did, and now I don’t think I could ever get into an Ivy League like they all did.

Because of how poorly I did last year, I decided to take much easier courses for my sophmore year. I qualified for APUSH and AP Physics, and because I did so badly in math, I’m not allowed to take Honors PreCalculus, so I am taking regular PreCalculus instead. I am also taking Honors Chemistry and Honors Spanish 3. I did test out of American Literature 10 to be able to take a higher level English class, but since I couldn’t decide what I wanted in time, I was placed in IA American Literature 10. So I’m taking two “advanced sophmore” classes (APUSH and Literature), two “junior” classes (Spanish 3 and Chemistry), and two “senior” classes (PreCalc and Physics). I was recruited to join Student Leadership Council, as well as the Debate Team, and I’m working really hard to make the JV Tennis team again, since Varsity is limited to Juniors and Seniors at my school. I know by what these classes are labeled as, it sounds as though I’m actually quite advanced. But in reality, I got two Ds Freshman year. I’m so bad at math that I had to drop the Honors point, and I’m already starting off with an awful GPA to make up for.
My poor performance in school is mirrored by my most recent ACT and SAT scores, which are as follows: ACT- English: 32, Reading- 34, Science- 34, Math- 24. They’re only in the early 30s, and don’t even get me started on how awful math is. It’s brought my overall all the way down to a 31. I don’t even know how to fix that, but I definitely know I need to do better there. For SAT, I’ve gotten 750 in writing and a 780 in reading, but a 600 in math. That only brings me to a 2130. I was really generous with my SAT scoring since everyone in my family only really gets around a 2200 or so, but I’m falling too short.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t make any Ivy League colleges because that’s all I’ve known my whole life. I’ve got a sibling that is at each of the eight universities and I’m supposed to be this genius kid that makes them all seem like losers, but here I am as the biggest loser of them all. I really don’t know what to do, and I’m very sorry if this post is annoying and overly emotional. I just don’t know where else to turn towards.

2

Can your family afford a math tutor? Perhaps that would help a lot? I’m sure some student would be willing to help you, but a tutor would be ideal. It seems otherwise that you know how to fix everything else.

3
  1. Take a deep breath. You're a sophomore. The vast majority of sophomores haven't taken standardized tests at all, or even put that much thought into college admissions. And a 31/2130 as a freshman is very, very respectable. 1a. Keep in mind that you'll be submitting the new SATs, if you choose to submit them at all, so the material won't be identical to whatever you've been working with.
  2. You're not the only person to have had a less-than-ideal freshman year. If you boost your grades, then you'll have an upwards trend. Adcoms will see that you've improved and become a better student throughout high school, and that will reflect well on you. Also, if your guidance counselor can elaborate on your family issues in their recommendation, then your grades may be seen in a more forgiving light.
  3. It looks as though math is your weak point. Why not talk to your counselor at school? I know that at my school, you could get a free student tutor (NHS members were required to sign up at tutors). There also might be teachers willing to give you extra help for free (or for a more affordable rate than a private tutor).
  4. Finally, the Ivies aren't everything. They're eight out of thousands of good schools. I'm sure you're under a lot of pressure, but try to focus on forging a path that's right for you, not your siblings. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Focus on developing a good work ethic, finding a genuine love of learning, and seeing what you're truly passionate about. In the long run, those are just as, if not more, important than your grades.
4

Totally agree with SpringAwake15. I think it is the pressure from your family that is affecting you and stressing you out. You need to remember that you are an unique individual. Your path in life will not be identical to that of your siblings. You have different weakness and different strengths.

Tons of people have “poor” freshman years; yours wasn’t too bad. It’s a transition. Your courseload is still advanced. Get a tutor for math, at least your know your main weakness! A 31 ACT is great. Your SAT will be great with superscore if you just work on that math.

Find ECs you like. Sounds you like Tennis; work that up and join something you love. High school is the beginning of independence; independence to make your own decisions and carve your own path. The Ivies may be all you know, but maybe they aren’t even the right place for you. If they are truly your dream, I think you are well on your way. You have learned lessons already and have the motivation to make changes with yourself. That is one of the most important steps.

5

thank you for responding! i’ve been thinking about getting a tutor, but i don’t know where to find one that’s inexpensive. i don’t live near a kumon or sylvan learning center; do you have any ideas where i could find one?

6

thank you for your response! I realize that my situation last year was poor and can be made into an “upward trend”, but i really don’t want to have to tell anyone about what i went through. i didn’t tell my guidance counselor, though i did talk to her about demoting me down to regular PreCalculus to avoid failing like I did last year. My high school doesn’t seem to offer free tutoring, only paid tutoring. My parents may be able to afford it, but I don’t want them to pay too much for me considering how expensive college education already is to them. Do you know of any other ways I could find inexpensive help in math?

7

thank you for your reply! it was quite inspirational actually. it’s kind of interesting to me that I’d never played tennis before, but now that i have, I really love it. In comparison, I’ve been doing advanced math all my life, and now I’m bad at it and hating it. I’m beginning to like these new things I’m being introduced to in high school, but if i gain too many interests, how will I know what is the right path for me to follow?

8

If you don’t want to disclose the details of what you went through, you certainly don’t have to! Even just getting better grades will show an upwards trend, regardless of the reason for your lower grades. I mentioned discussing your situation only because adcoms may be more forgiving of a rough start if there was a serious reason behind it. It’s not mandatory at all, though.

I would double check with your high school about free tutoring – there’s no harm in asking even if they, unfortunately, only offer paid services. I’m afraid I don’t really know much about finding math help, beyond seeing what resources your school has. I do know a lot of people use Khan Academy for extra practice. That might help. You could also check your local library; sometimes tutors will put up signs and such. It might not be free, but it could be cheaper than a professional company.

9

Honestly I was expecting a lot worse when I came into this post by your descriptions in the beginning, but to me it seems like you’re being a tad bit harder on yourself than you should be. It’s true that most of what you do and achieve in high school will reflect on and count for when you start applying to colleges, but the fact that you recognize this and are making an attempt to improve for the coming years is an extremely valuable mindset that not everyone possesses.

What’s also good is that although you may not have done so well your freshman year, you did take some honors/weighted courses, which is a lot better than strictly going for all of the regular courses. Taking an honors class shows colleges that you’re challenging yourself rather than going for the easy route. And hey, colleges understand that people aren’t perfect, and that plenty of students make mistakes when first going into high school. You’ve still got three full years ahead of you, and that’s plenty of time to make changes and improve. One bad year isn’t going to compromise everything. A friend of mine had a similar freshman year to yours, but sophomore year he really cracked down and now he’s doing great.

To be honest, you’re actually in a pretty great place right now. You’re in some pretty great clubs/activities, which makes you a well-rounded candidate for college already. Not to mention you have a 31 ACT and 2130 SAT under your belt already(as a rising sophomore too), which is seriously much more impressive than you believe it to be. There are plenty of rising juniors that can only dream of scoring that well, and you’ve already achieved that a year ahead. As I always tell my friends and family, the SAT (though this can apply to the ACT as well) is ridiculously tailored for those who excel in English, and judging from your Reading Comp and Writing scores, you’re already pretty solid. It’s okay if math isn’t your strong point, because when it comes to standardized tests, personally I believe that the Math section is the easiest to improve in.

Timing is often a big problem for people struggling with standardized tests as you have to answer each question quickly while moving along at a good pace, so if you’re looking to improve your math section in both the ACT and SAT, I’d suggest investing more time in doing math practice sections (which you can find on the College Board website). Try working at a slower pace that’s more comfortable for you, and then eventually you can start lowering the time limit until it reflects the actual test time. And like how others above suggested, a math tutor isn’t a bad course of action either. Plus colleges also look at the area you want to study in based on what you took in high school, so if you’re not planning on a math-related major then don’t sweat it if you’re math grades don’t match up to your grades in other courses.

Wow this is so much longer than I intended it to be but I hope something in here helps you out if you’re willing to read all of it lol. You’re at a good spot so don’t spend so much time worrying, and enjoy your high school life a bit! A little bit of improvement and I can definitely see you being a solid contender for those Ivy Leagues, so don’t psyche yourself out too much. High school is all about discovering what you love to do, so don’t let the prospect of getting good grades take over that aspect

10

a 3.5 GPA and 2000+ SAT will open plenty of college doors.

Do your best and enjoy high school on the way by.

11

Hey- be proud of yourself, Im a rising senior and Id love to have those scores! You’re on the right track, so don’t stress out too much. Just keep working and it’ll pay off, try not to stress too much and don’t forget to smile! :slight_smile:

12

Are you saying that you are the 9th child in your family and all of your other siblings go to a different Ivy?

Why have you already taken both the ACT and the SAT and you’re only 1 year into high school?

This thread doesn’t sound legit.

13

Wow, this is quite offensive. To GnocchiB, I’m the tenth child in my family, and I’ve been taking released tests and practice tests since the start of high school. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying. In addition, why would you say I don’t “sound legit” because there are many members of my family? I don’t see why you would try to discriminate against people just because you’ve never heard of such intelligence. My family members all worked hard to get to where they are now. This thread is about my issues and how I can work harder to match their excellence. It is not a place for strangers to delegitimize my family members.