Failed Freshmen Year. Can I still get in?

Applying to College
1

<p>So basically I got like a 2.8 and 2.9 GPA in Freshmen year. I got a 3.5 GPA for the first semester of Sophomore year and will get a 3.8 GPA for 2nd semester. In Junior year, I will work my ass off to get straight A's. My question is, will I still be able to get into like Duke, Harvard,.. top 20 schools? I plan to major in chemistry (something related to energy) or business. I also do sports and plan to for 4 years. I'm also in a few clubs and plan to do an internship related to chemistry in the summer of my junior year. I will be taking 5 classes next year and plan to achieve all A's(at most one B). 3 APs, 1 Honor, and 1 regular class. I will work hard to get at least a 2200 in the SAT.
So my question is, will I still be able to get into top 20 nationally ranked schools? If not, what do I need to do to get in?
Thank you so much!</p>

<p>P.S. (im a sophomore right now)</p>

2

<p>There are lots of schools that don’t include freshman grades in their calculations (Stanford and the UCs for example) and many top schools that will look favorably on an upward trend. They know that boys especially can take an extra year or so to get traction in high school. So stay on track academically and you’ll do fine.</p>

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<p>wow dude good job for you :slight_smile: Well, sorry i’m only a junior in high school, so I can’t really say exactly for sure they’ll accept you. And i guess i’ll at least leave a comment here, since no one’s replying LOL.</p>

<p>But let me tell you this your transcript sounds great! Who cares if you failed, once they see you with an upward spiral, they see you improved, grown, and changed. Are you in office in any of those clubs? It’d also be best that, somewhere in your high school years, you’re leading a club. </p>

<p>You could also try making a club, that’s major points, a club that benefits the community, has a purpose, and is really unique~</p>

<p>And also, they enjoy someone who’s committed and succeeds in it! Like,they’d appreciate it if you’ve been in a class or activity for a long time, leveled up to an advanced level, and won awards for it. </p>

<p>Then again, top 20 schools are EFFIN competitive o___0 I mean think about it, there’s also people that are in internships, have high SAT scores, are straight A’s throughout their high school, they have killer essays, awards, and tons of extra curricular act. yah you get the point.</p>

<p>You could try, but to be quite honest you have a slight chance. But hey who knows, maybe you could impress them with your essay if they see your personality is unique.</p>

<p>wooow… my message is long ._.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure if 2.8 is failing? </p>

<p>However I flunked every class my freshmen year and managed to get all As for the next three. However there were circumstances that lead to those grades. I hated going to school because I was bullied out of my freshmen year. So I wrote my essay on it. </p>

<p>I can tell you that Columbia and notre Dame were eager to look at my app. I had been in contact with my regional admission officer. I didn’t apply though because I really didn’t gave time for the essays. I regret it now. </p>

<p>Anyways the highest ranked college I was accepted to was Boston University, waitlisted to holy cross. </p>

<p>I suggest you apply to a variety of places. It depends if the committee likes you essentially. I think BU just liked something about me whereas at Syracuse I was denied. You would almost think that would be an automatic acceptance. </p>

<p>Admissions are purely subjective. I’m not sure if you have a reason gor failing, if you don’t then good luck and find one. </p>

<p>Also if I had a 2100 on my SATs I guarantee you i would have been accepted to one ivy league. It would have been one of those unique anomalies. But I didn’t. </p>

<p>Study for the sat and be innovative and creative. Freshmen year is meaningless. I should be first in my class I get higher grades than those in the top 10. </p>

<p>But I moved on and I am 28 in my class, yet I was the only person from my school accepted to BU whereas many in the top 10 were denied</p>