I realize that this is very similar to a “Chance Me” thread, but I do not want to post there as everything is “prospective”. I have really no person to talk to as no person I know went to an American college and I don’t know where to go from here.
I just finished my sophomore year in high school, and, my grades were terrible. I want to pursue a degree in Computer Science/Computer Engineering.
I got a C+ recently in AP Calculus AB, and I don’t know what to do now, I was literally crying when I got my report card and now I am all depressed. I will be going to BC next year, so hopefully those grades can compensate.
For now, my GPA is:
Weighted: 3.79
Unweighted: 3.35
Total: 3.8
However, by end of junior year I should be able to increase my grade dramatically up to a 4.04 because of AP classes.
Is there any other way for me to increase my chances to get into college going into junior year and senior year. For example, is there anything I should do in my college application that can help to boost my chances?
Here are some stats about me that could go into consideration:
-California Resident
-Asian Male
-Total 11 AP’s projected: AP Calculus AB+BC, AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, AP World History, APUSH, AP Psychology, AP English Language, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: E&M
-Finished AP Calculus AB and APUSH
-AP’s will be either 4’s or 5’s, but mainly 5’s
-2350 SAT
-I will be applying for Computer Science/Computer Engineering
-Currently won first hackathon I ever went to, will be going to more hackathons sooner (win maybe 3-4 more?)
-Leader of Website of Robotics club (future president?)
-Outreach in the Appalachian Mountains to help restore the environment as part of community service, as well as helping locally for the poor
-Over 150 hours in children’s museum
-In school’s Math Team and Programming Club Leader
-Knowledgeable in more than 10 programming languages
-Piano for 7 years
-First one in family to go to American college
-Planning to do an internship somewhere?
Also, with these statistics, which universities will I have a chance to get admission into?
If I get into one of these schools I will be more than elated- I love almost any of these schools equally:
-USC
-UCLA
-UC Davis
-UCSD
-UT Austin
-Georgia Tech
-Carnegie Mellon
-UC Berkeley
Safety/ I will be not happy to get into any of these:
-UIUC
-UC Irvine
-San Jose State University
-Cal Poly SLO
I am literally feeling so depressed because of my GPA right now, because I badly wanted to go to UC Berkeley. Is there anything I can do at this stage that can help me stand a chance against other applicants? I still have all of junior year and senior year to make a “difference” to help me stand out, I just don’t know what to do. Sorry for the billion questions and the wall of text, but I appreciate any kind of input. Thanks.
Seriously, any kind of input is appreciated. I feel screwed over when I saw my report card. If this post is illegal, just tell me and I will remove it, this is my second time posting in the forums.
I wouldn’t sweat over it too much! You’re only a sophomore, and colleges like to see an upward trend, so as long as you do well junior year and 1st semester of senior year, you should be good. Based on your scores, you have a “slacker profile” right now, which is high SAT scores and low GPA. If you work really hard on your academics junior year, you’ll break that image and colleges will notice. And if you improve your GPA enough, you’ll have a good chance at the UC’s (Berkeley, UCLA, Davis, UCSD, Irvine), and San Jose State. I can’t say anything for certain about the others, however, although your extracurricular activities are very impressive. Make sure you work on securing that robotics presidency. You can do it; don’t stop believing in yourself! 
Thanks for the encouragement and your response. I guess I was feeling pretty horrible for myself seeing the low acceptance rates at the colleges, especially for something demanding like computer science, that I really want to go to. My counselor, friends, and family all have said that I was screwed over from the beginning. I guess I have to prove them wrong!
Thank you so much again for your response.
Is there anything I should do other than focus on my grades in junior year so that I can increase my chances? Thanks.
It’s worth thinking through what went wrong in Calc AB (hint: don’t blame the teacher).
Also, is your 2350 SAT already achieved?
Yes, my SAT is already achieved. I really slacked off on homework on Calc AB, which I completely realize is my mistake. I just hope that my eventual stellar Calc BC/Stats/Comp Sci grades can compensate.
Dude, you cried, really? Remember to never tell me that if I’m still around and your interviewing for positions in Silicon Valley. That being said, I’ll give you my background and the background of individuals who work for me.
Boston College class of 1992. BA in Business Administration. GPA was 2.8. Didn’t stop me from getting a job at Cisco from 2000 to 2009, where I was the test engineer responsible for the code AT&T would deploy on their network to support the Iphone. I’ve now been a Sr. manager at Cisco and a major competitor since 2004. I don’t even have a CS degree. I do however have intensive training in Philosophy. You’ll be amazed at how well this sets you up for a career in software development. In terms of those who work for me, 80% are foreign born Indians and Chinese. 60% of the team has a Masters Degree. I have two engineers who are key talent, own million dollar houses, and got a 2.9 GPA at San Jose State. So stop crying, get off your Berkeley high horse, and realize we are looking for much more than an overachiever who can’t get work done. I’ve let go of many high GPA engineers who were just lousy at actually doing work. I’m not the best student, but I’ll outwork you with intelligence that is hard to characterize. You’ll be fine. Lay off the need for so many AP classes you just aren’t ready for.
Remember that the UC system does not include your freshman year grades in the GPA calculation. Also, being first generation to an American college is not the same as first generation to college. You get a minor boost for the latter but not the former.
Other advice, besides getting your GPA up, would be to get to know two teachers well who can write compelling letters of recommendation for you.
And spend some time figuring out what went wrong with AP Calculus AB. Can you retake the class and replace the grade? How can you ensure that you don’t have a repeat of the experience in Calculus BC?
Try applying to some STEM-related summer camps (a little too late for this summer, just try next summer, before your senior year). I’d recommend Duke TIP Field Studies or SIMR for the summer. TIP is a lot easier to get into than SIMR, though you should try to apply to both, you might get into one. Some other summer camps you could try are the Jackson Laboratory or SSP (The Summer Science Program). Just a note, SIMR and SSP require teacher recs. And if you can get an internship this summer, before your junior year, that would be good too.
Yeah, that 2350 is really going to hold you back…bummer.
(actually, editing because i don’t want to sound too mean here. I guess my point is that you are doing great…yes, you had a class sophomore year that you didn’t do great in but so what? Your list of colleges has a good number of matches for you)
Hey guys, thanks for your responses. I already have a lot of teachers who I am comfortable giving my recommendation to, so that is not a problem. Unfortunately, I cannot retake the class to replace my grade, which sucks, but I can get a good grade in BC. I will definitely see what my problem was in AB and try to fix the problem.
Do you think if it is better to go to a STEM summer camp or to get an internship in a STEM related field? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
almost forgot, here’s a list of STEM related summer programs: http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/resources/summer_programs/math.html, it’d be a good idea to pick a few to apply to, if it’s not too late.
Thanks guys for your responses. I guess I am on the right track then, hopefully my GPA rises in my junior year so that I can give a compelling application to my dream schools. Thanks.
Your GPA is FINE. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Nope a 4.04 GPA is far too low to get into anywhere besides a local community college. I have never seen such a low SAT and lack of EC’s! I mean really what do you do with your life? A 2350 is just truly horrible, I would cry too. And only 150 volunteer hours at a hospital? I mean who does that? Also why are you only taking 11 AP’s??? Don’t you know colleges require at least 15? Also piano is SOO mainstream! Why not oboe or bassoon or something? To answer your question yes you are screwed over and will likely be a fry cook at McDonald’s after getting rejected from North Southern Wyoming A&M technical institute community college.
If you are in-state for California, then you may have a chance with an upward trend. If you aren’t a California resident, you will be paying the big bucks.
It is weird to see a student three grade levels ahead in math (calculus in 10th grade) taking the light version of calculus (AB) and only getting a C+ in it. Students that advanced are usually the top students in math who take BC, getting an easy A in the class and easy 5 on the AP test.
If you are not happy to go to a school like CPSLO, SJSU, UCI, etc., then it cannot be a safety. Unfortunately, your 3.35 GPA will be a serious drawback to getting into your target schools. If you really want to go to UCB/UCLA/UCSD, then you may have to plan for the likelihood of starting at a community college, doing very well there, and transferring as a junior.
Note that out-of-state public schools like Georgia Tech and UIUC will not have good financial aid for you.
Just a head’s up, money won’t be a problem for me.
I know that my GPA is pretty low right now compared to others in the applicant pool (Thanks for the reassurance Stanford Swag, but I don’t think a 3.3 makes the cut right now 
), but I do have a chance to increase my grades in junior year dramatically because I will be taking more AP/Honors classes instead of “normal” classes, plus maintaining A’s throughout, just need this summer to sort my academic life out. I’ve continuously had an upward trend in my grades from freshman year, and I hope to maintain that trend going into my junior and senior years.
mco1997, I overreacted, I know. Sorry, I just get too much pressure from family, friends, counselors, and such. No one was giving me reassurance that I had any chance to get into any colleges, so I posted on here to hopefully gotten positive feedback. This was very over-the-top compared to how people are doing compared to me. It’s also stressful getting a spot as an Asian into colleges with affirmative action and such.
ucbalumnus, I have no idea how I failed AB. I got an A in the previous semester, I guess I just slacked off in the homework and definitely learnt from my mistakes. I don’t think I would want to go to a community college, and hopefully I can continue to increase my grades dramatically junior year so that I stand some chance in the applicant pool. Thanks for your input.
Post #16, just so you know the UCs don’t consider affirmative action. My daughter’s friend who is first generation Mexican and I believe she is poor, didn’t get into half as many colleges that my daughter an ORM got into. This girl has decent grade, fewer APs than my daughter, but not by much.
Thanks for the info, DrGoogle. I always thought that UC’s looked at affirmative action.
Nope, UC’s can’t use affirmative action. What would make you believe that? It’s been almost 20 years. Look up proposition 209.