<p>Hello everyone, </p>
<p>I need some assistance or guidance. I am going to be a Sophomore in High School next year. Upon entering High School, I had set myself very high standards, and aimed to challenge myself to achieve straight A's despite taking 2 honors classes. However, I regret to say that I failed, and miserably. I don't know why, but I found it hard to establish myself, and finished my first semester with a downright dreadful 3.1 GPA. Second semester was practically the same, as I finished with a 3.5. In my first semester, I had one C in Bio H, and many B's. The second was 2 A's in subjects that don't matter, and B's/B-'s in everything else. It goes without saying that the hugely important class rank on my application is going to look quite disappointing. I let myself down severely, and am reflecting on the past year over summer. Another huge issue I had was my lack of involvement in any sports or clubs. Looking back, I regret practically every decision that I made, and feel like I have no chance of getting into Columbia, or any ivy-league school for that matter. In addition, the lack of solid grades in most classes means that I won't be eligible for any honors or AP's for my sophomore year. Obviously, this just adds to my tension. The only positive I see out of this is that I might be able to get good grades in the easier classes, but who am I kidding? No college wants to see a kid get good grades in classes in which they are expected to do so. </p>
<p>The future looks bleak, and for someone who had such high expectations for not only himself, but his family, it's easy to lose faith. I've decided to pick up the scraps and work with what I have, knowing it's going to be tough. I was accepted into our Speech and Debate program (founded just this summer) and hope to go far into competitions, knowing that debate is a key strength of mine based on middle school competition. In addition, I want to run Cross Country (why I didn't do this freshman year is beyond me.) I'm also going on an interfaith trip and will be taking SAT courses, as well as attending youth forums over the summer. I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that it's my parents who are pushing me into these things, knowing that my morale and confidence is at rock-bottom. I guess they somehow have faith in me, but I'm wondering if it's justified. Should I have any faith in myself for the upcoming years? Is there anyway to rebound from arguably the worst freshman year ever and get into a top UC/ivy league school? I would also appreciate 100% honestly. I deserve the criticism. I also always hear about how colleges like improvement and upward trend, but is it actually true? I know I won't stand out, but will a massive improvement make me look that much better?</p>
<p>tl;dr</p>
<p>Very bad freshman year. ~3.3 cummulative GPA despite setting very high standards. Practically no EC's/clubs. Looking to rebound with strong summer and aiming to continue into next three years. Wondering if hopes of law school and getting into top UC/Ivy league for undergrad and beyond are still alive.</p>
<p>Also, sorry if this is in the wrong section. Just joined the site. Put it into Columbia because it's my dream school, and I want to reach out to the knowledgeable.</p>