Hello,
I just finished my first semester of high school. My school just came out with the class rankings and I’m 238 out of 789. Both my parents were valedictorians and they said that I have ruined my future. Is this true? Can I still get into a college or at that a good college? I participate in a couple clubs and I play tennis but other than that I on’t have many after school activities. P.S. I’m not trying to get into Harvard or something, just a respectable institute.
Thanks
Your parents may have been Vals of their classes, but they may have left their smarts back at their alma mater. Do they really think that all the successful folks around them were Vals or even top 10% students? Lol…seriously???
No, you haven’t ruined your chances to go to college and be a smashing success in life…maybe even more successful than your misguided parents… 
What are your actual stats? What are your test scores? Where did you apply? How much will your parents pay each year for college?
Should we assume that because your parents were both Vals that they’re fabulously successful and can easily afford to send you to any school you get into??
what is your career goal? Intended major?
what are your favorite subjects?
It’s your first semester of high school! You have a loooonnnngggg way to go…
Obvious first question: are you working to your potential? was this a typical semester for you? If your marks were disappointing, can you change how you do your work enough to change the marks?
Your activities will matter: exactly what you do matters less than that you DO something that means something to you, that you can commit to and show growth / responsibility / leadership by the time you are applying.
As to the importance of being valedictorian- that has changed a lot since your parents were in HS. In 2007 there were 36,000 valedictorians in the US, and UPenn and Duke rejected 60% of the valedictorians who applied. In some schools as many as 20% of the class are named valedictorian. At Tufts in 2015 only 20% of students applied with a class rank at all;, so they are taking the question off their application.
Ok…I missed that you’re only a freshman! Just do your best!
Most of the colleges in this country admit most of their applicants. Go away from this board!! The ones that you’ll hear discussed here are maybe the most selective 50-100 out of more than 3,000 4-year colleges. You will have plenty of options, good ones, as long as you are a decent student
This is why one should always pick their parents carefully 
Seriously, while we can give your folks the benefit of the doubt and assume they want the best for you, telling you that you have ruined your future is borderline abusive (and some would remove the “borderline” adjective). If your school has a counselor available, when talk like this is getting you down you ought to pay her/him a visit.