Hi im in 9th grade (soon to be a 10th grader ) and my grades weren’t as good as you would think because of my home situations and I’ve been progressing but was told that if you don’t start at the top most colleges won’t accept you is it true ?
Most colleges? Who told you that? There are ~3,000 colleges in the US. Some require extremely high standardized test scores and GPAs, but there are many levels of selectivity. There are colleges for everyone. Students who don’t meet admission requirements for their 4-year state schools can start at community colleges. There are plenty of 4-year colleges that accept students with average test scores and GPAs too. Upward trends in grades help, and guidance counselors can note special circumstances that impacted grades on their report.
I’m sorry you’ve been struggling. Just do the best you can for the rest of high school. Come back when you’re a junior and the experienced posters here can help you build your college list. Good luck.
Many schools discount or ignore freshman grades, recognizing that for many kids, it’s an adjustment year.
What did you learn this year that will help you improve next year? Need for better organization? Better time management? Regular review during the term so you’re ready for cumulative assessments?
Put it into action, and you’ll be fine. There are schools that will forgive a rocky start if you improve.
Define starting at the top. Unless your school sends only top 10% or 20% to colleges, that is not the case. Even large public schools send 30-50% to 4 colleges while most others attend community colleges.
The UC system completely disregards freshman year grades, and for the vast majority of schools, a steady increase in GPA is seen as a best indicator of future collegiate success. Please don’t worry, you’ll be fine.