Bad Freshman Year

Hello, College Confidential! I am currently a sophomore in high school. Last year I did not do so well and ended up with a 2.81 GPA. Although I have an idea of what went wrong, it was not an extenuating circumstance. I currently have a 3.8 GPA for this quarter (this does not factor in my freshman GPA). I understand that I am only a sophomore but, I know that my freshman year will impact my college admissions. As my username may suggest, I am considering Harvard University. My GPA does not suggest that I am a competitive applicant but my courseload may prove otherwise. I am currently taking three honors courses and am in the process of moving up from standard courses to honors courses. I expect that I will take a few APs junior year if I do well this year. I am aware that I am far from an ideal applicant but I would like to know how adcoms (especially adcoms of top-tier universities and colleges) view people in my situation.

Sorry but your chance at Harvard is close to zero. Even if you were get a perfect GPA the rest of high school, you’re not getting in. Think of all the kids who did great freshman year AND will for the next 3 years. That’s your competition. Sorry to crush your dreams…

Almost everyone gunning for Harvard has a challenging courseload, and most of them do very well in it despite the difficulty.

It’s too early to be setting your heart on particular schools anyway. You’ve barely done any of the things you’ll be judged on.

I appreciate your honesty.

don’t listen to them if you push you have a chance! wishing you the best of luck

In 2015, 1% of harvards students had a GPA between 3-3.24(the range you would fall under), and that person or few people were most likely athletes. If you’d like to take your chances at a school with a 6% admit rate with a GPA only 1% were accepted under making your odds of getting in less that .06%, you can apply, but personally I don’t think it’s worth the money. Unless of course you’re a star athlete and a celebrity

OP has only completed one-third of the classes they will have at the time of application. They literally can’t make any decisions or get any chances yet. There’s not enough information.

All they can do is their best for the next two years, and THEN they can decide what schools to apply to.

@bodangles That’s exactly what I will do.Thank you!