As of this fall, I’ll be a highschool sophomore, so I know I still have a good amount of time left. I got really bad grades my freshman year, three A’s and 3 C’s (4 advanced classes and I got an A in 2 and a C in 2, though one of the Cs was because I didn’t participate, not that I didn’t understand). I did 2 sports last year and will probably continue doing one of the sports and hopefully adding on a different extracurricular. Is it still possible to get in to an Ivy, Stanford, UW, NYU, or one of the UCs? Also do you guys have any advice for what extracurriculars to do, how to stay motivated or any advice in general?
Stanford and the UC’s do not consider Freshman grades in their GPA calculation, so if you are able to turn things around, then they are possible. Just remember especially for Stanford, you will be competing against applicants with perfect grades and test scores whom still get rejected.
All you can do now is work on doing your best and when it comes time to apply to colleges, find colleges that match your stats than trying to match your stats to any particular college. For EC’s, do what you love which should keep you motivated and follow through.
While EC’s are important at top colleges they do not make up for mediocre grades. You need to change your priorities.
Have an excuse for your poor performance and bounce back showing that you have showed signs of improvement as colleges love that. Start joining clubs that you have in mind that you would stay for the next 3 years and be a leader in. Try your best and don’t stress out too much, just keep working hard.