<p>So I am currently a Sophomore in a relatively large high school (approximately 400 students in my graduating class), and I am getting very concerned about college. The first half of my freshman year went well, as I had all A's and an A- in all honors classes (honors is the highest level class one can take). However, the second half of my freshman year, there were some things that really hindered my abilities (I think it was because I was going through a difficult time emotionally). Because of that, my second semester grades resulted in mostly A's and A-'s and a B and a B+. This year, Sophomore year, I have really had a hard time transitioning from freshman to sophomore year, and because of that, my first semester grades were mostly B+'s and an A and an A- in all honors classes. Originally, when I started my freshman year, I was planning on applying to Yale or Harvard ED, but now, I have completely crossed off all Ivy league colleges off of my list. I have other credentials, however, I am very fearful that I will not be accepted due to my poor grades. Do you think I should even bother applying?</p>
<p>You’re only a sophomore! You have all of this summer and next to do something spectacular in your extracurriculars (internship, intensive volunteer service, research, etc.). You have to stand out in some way to get into the ivy league schools, it’s not based solely on your grades. So do well this semester and for the next three semesters to keep your GPA up to par, and make sure something about you is very unique or that you’re very well rounded. Good luck!</p>
<p>Woah, you were going to cross those schools off because of a few B’s? No man, calm down. Do something awesome ec wise and write some great essays. You still have the SAT’s and stuff to worry about. Don’t sweat it, and if you really are concerned about those grades, I’d say that you should tell them about the tough time.
Don’t ever quit on anything because of a few mistakes. Try to better them and move on.</p>
<p>Thanks. The second semester of my sophomore year is nearly halfway done, and I really hope to improve my grades. I’ve really been working hard to improve them, but it is very difficult to really get motivated about it, especially since I am going through a depression. I hope I can bring my grades way up by the end of the year, but what if I can’t? What if I get four B+'s/B’s and only a couple A’s? I know colleges look for a diverse group of kids, but I just think my grades will really be a problem even if I get straight A’s/A+'s junior year.</p>
<p>There are so many ways to go about college admissions… You can go the Michele Hernandez route (look her up, she’s intense) where you fret about college for all of your high school career and plan from middle school (what I used to do); or you can go the way that colleges actually want you to go. </p>
<p>Be passionate, and different. Be someone who would be an interesting person to have over for dinner. Accept that you have B’s (or maybe worse) because every single person has had them at one time or another. On your application it is preferable to look human (i.e. have some faults) and if you explain them well on your application they can end up being a plus. </p>
<p>I went through a very similar situation in Sophomore year, and it really helped me figure out where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Do some looking this year and look at some schools that you might not have considered. Do some reading (like Lauren Pope’s book Colleges that Change Lives) and see what you want from college. You can definitely go to an Ivy if you want to, just make sure that you actually want to…</p>