I am a Junior and i’m feeling really stressed right now…
For my sophomore year i had 2 Bs and the rest were A’s…
now in my Junior year i’m doing horrible…
Pharmacy: A
Ap Lang : B+ (89%)
Ap Bio : D (67%) i have a really hard time with this…
Korean IV H: A
Algebra II: B
APUSH: B
I really want to go to at least UC irvine but i know that with these grades i don’t even have a chance… these are just what i have at the moment, they’re not my semester grades or anything. But i doubt it’s going to go to a straight A thing… I really do NOT want to go to community college…
my SAT scores aren’t that great either because i’m horrible at mathematics…
I feel really worried and i’m working on my volunteer hours but i feel like it’s not going to change much because the most important things are grades and SAT scores…
i don’t know what to do i am seriously panicking…
i do get help for my classes but in the end it’s up to me to study and i am not a good self studier…
I know how tough the UC system is and everything and i feel like i have no hope…
What do i have to do…?
I don’t want to disappoint my parents but more, i don’t want to disappoint myself… i have so much faith in myself now i feel like i’m really letting myself down…
I am not even thinking of schools like Berkeley because that is too high of a standard for me so i just want to settle with schools nearby me like UC Irvine and UCSD…
but i feel like i’m not good enough…
i don’t have the confidence to write a good college essay as well…
Why are high school students so against going to community colleges???
Did you know that many UC students start off at local CC’s because they save big bucks? Also, the UCs have articulation agreements with the California community colleges and enroll large numbers of CCC students above other college and university applicants.
I say that because if you were to be rejected by the UCs, you get a second chance to attend by using the California CCs to get in. Do you know how many international and OOS students would want to be in your place?
You are really not helping yourself by stressing out.
Do your best, get some help with bio, and apply.
I mean at my school they actually really encourage going to CC and then transferring to a better university because it saves much more money, but i want to get into a 4 year university just at once. I know that the competition to transfer into UCs is really competitive and seeing that i’m not a very smart person, i don’t think i’d cope very well in that situation…
How would you cope with getting on academic probation because of your grades in your first year at a UC?
Courses at the UCs are in quarters of 10 weeks. They go faster, and cover much more material than your high school. Studying for college tests is different. A lot of new freshman are often shocked by their low grades their first year.
My dd received a degree in engineering. She had one class, in her junior year, where 90% of her grade was based on the final. That’s horrible! A lot of her classmates failed that required class and had to repeat that course.
Do your best. Get a tutor. Apply. Don’t stress about getting in. You will get in at the right college for you because you are on the right path. Enjoy high school.
I agree with @aunt bea: Don’t stress about colleges right now. Focus on doing well in your classes and getting help if needed. If you are in-state California, UC’s are not the only colleges worth pursing. Many Cal states are comparable to the UC’s in academics plus dozen’s of privates that would be willing to accept you as a student.
Just do your best and the end of Junior year, re-evaluate your options. You will get into a college that is the best fit for you.
Good Luck.
@Gumbymom but i have to get into a UC because that’s the school my parents want me to get into and that’s where want to get into as well… the past year i actually didn’t worry about college AT ALL and it really got serious because my counsellors said i really need to start worrying. I’m taking the new SAT in march and my scores are only like 1200/1600 if good, and around 750/1600 if bad… enjoying high school is the least of my worries because i never really enjoyed a place full of judgmental freaks…
@“aunt bea” Yes i do know that studying at UC schools are ‘extremely’ hard… all my teachers stress that to me so much that i’m even saying it in my sleep… UC has to be the right college for me because my parents expect it and more than that, I expect it for myself. I’ll feel really disappointed if i don’t get in… every one told me “don’t think your parents decide everything for you” or “maybe UC isn’t the right college for you”. easy for them to say because it isn’t their situation.
Then your parents have the issue. What if you don’t get in? What will they do?
They don’t understand how hard it is to get into the UC’s. Not only that, to stay and get good grades at a UC is difficult.
If you destress, your grades and scores will go up.
I PM’d you. Please read it.
In a word, yes.
You need a 4.2ish UCGPA to be competitive for UCI - the bar is even higher at UCSD. Those schools target the top 5ish% of HS grads - meaning the vast majority of HS grads won’t qualify. Just google their freshman profiles.
I agree with @aunt_bea - you should do your best, try to enjoy your high school experience If you are doing your best, you shouldn’t be ashamed - it looks like you’ll have a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA. lots of doors will be open for you and your parents should back off. (i know easier said than done) You will have lots of next step options.
SDSU, CSULB UCR, UCM and perhaps UCSC will probably take you into most programs as a freshman- all are solid schools that turn out thousands of well qualified graduates. Of course, CC will also be an option.
Don’t be miserable, keep up the good work, get some help where you need it and the chips will fall into place.
I agree with all the above posters that you need to do your best and that is all a parent should ask.
You should also know that the UC’s are test blind this year and the original plan was to be test optional for 2021 and 2022. Starting in 2023, the UC’s would then go test blind. Covid has resulted in test blind admissions this year and it may stay that way so do not stress about the SAT/ACT since they may not be accepted by the time you apply.
I had one son attend a UC and another a Cal state. Both got great educations and are doing well post grad at their careers.
Tell your parents Gumbymom says you do not need to go to a UC to get a good education. You need to find colleges that are good fits for you academically, financially and socially which may end up not being a UC. Best of luck and enjoy high school.
OP would now be a Senior in college, given that the original post was from more than 5 years ago.
I suspect that being test blind this year didn’t help.
@RichInPitt. Thank you for pointing out the original discussion date. I cannot get used to the changes on this website and thought it was a new post.
I usually use my Ipad to post but too many problems with the new site. Seems my IPad and CC are currently incompatible.
Since this discussion is from 5 years ago, I am closing it.
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