Freshmen slacker... chances at Ivy?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am currently a freshmen going to sophmore now. I will be spending quite a while in these forums. I have high interests for myself and my future and one of those is going to an excellent college mainly Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, etc. I am highly interested in majoring in International Relations.</p>

<p>Anyways, I have been a slacker in this freshmen year... 4 of my classes are Honors, I am also a part of the Gifted and Talented group for my school. My grades, well... yeah, slacking in my books, however none are failing. </p>

<p>On average (by memory since I dont have my report card at my hand)</p>

<p>English: 80's
History: 80's
Gym: 70's-80's
Algebra 1: 70's
Spanish 1: 80's
Typing: 90's
Science: 60's-70's</p>

<p>Basically all b's and c's and a couple A's accross the year. I plan on getting mainly a's and b's for this last marking period and the finals, so that should help my average. Plus, I had an excess of absences for this year, however some have been excused.</p>

<hr>

<p>I know, its not great, however I have redeemed myself and now I am fully motivated to succeed since now I know what my future is. I plan to take atleast 9 AP classes for Sophmore, junior, senior year, I dont plan on getting anything less then a 90 in any class because I am truly committed. I am also going to begin practicing for my SAT's over the summer. I will also be joining numerous EC's geared towards my political interest, business interest, and just personal interests like computers/IT. </p>

<p>So if I do improve dramatically as I plan to do, will I have a good chance at an Ivy league school and possibly scholarships to them? Do you guys have any advice, ideas, that can help me along my coming 3 year journey?</p>

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<p>they don't give merit scholarships, and why do you have to go to an ivy league college? instead of being on this site you should be studying more</p>

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<p>IMO - if you know you've been a slacker, that doesn't help your situation. Slacker is not compatibile with Ivy League. If you do redeem yourself and get higher grades, it might help, yes... but you won't be able to get away from those freshman year grades, they'll be on your transcript and everything.</p>

<p>I know a few people that can be classified as "slackers." I'll tell you this: It's not easy for them to work much harder after slacking off.</p>

<p>If you really are motivated, then you should be able to improve. Like I said, you won't be able to get away from those grades. Sorry to be so pessimistic and all.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
they don't give merit scholarships, and why do you have to go to an ivy league college? instead of being on this site you should be studying more

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I want to go to the best college I can, thats why. ;) Dont worry, since last marking period I have learned how to manage my time better, my grades have been improving since them. I do plan to study pretty soon today later.</p>

<p>
[quote]
IMO - if you know you've been a slacker, that doesn't help your situation. Slacker is not compatibile with Ivy League. If you do redeem yourself and get higher grades, it might help, yes... but you won't be able to get away from those freshman year grades, they'll be on your transcript and everything.</p>

<p>I know a few people that can be classified as "slackers." I'll tell you this: It's not easy for them to work much harder after slacking off.</p>

<p>If you really are motivated, then you should be able to improve. Like I said, you won't be able to get away from those grades. Sorry to be so pessimistic and all.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Well I know I was a slacker... but maybe I dont define slacker right... I was just unmotivated, didn't really care much for the details. I did not get horrible grades, just mediocre, and in my books right now that is a slacker.</p>

<p>I know I will redeem myself, for the past couple months I have been redeeming myself. I went from an average of 56-60 in Science and now I have an 80 in my progress report for the fourth marking period. </p>

<p>My question is, what if I have around a 3.0 GPA for my freshmen year, which is what I THINK I will end up with, would it be in my favor that next year I suddenly become a 5.0 GPA student? Would it be a positive impact in my app for HYP? They would see a whole different student from freshmen to sophmore-Senior... that wont work for the better?</p>

<p>EDIT: That means if I get a perfect 5.0 for the next three years, then I will end up with a 4.5 in the end.</p>

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<p>Your best chance at very top schools would be Princeton and Stanford, which don't count Freshman grades. Honestly, a 3.0 freshman year will eliminate you at most top schools unless you're a great athlete or have national level EC achievements.</p>

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<p>really? even with very very high SAT scores?</p>

<p>EDIT: And challenging courses? Also, what if I am in a high level group/program in my school, it is in an academic level above regular honors.</p>

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<p>Think of it this way, every ivy could fill their every class with kids from Exeter and Andover, TJ and Bronx Science, who all have perfect grades and scores. You have a lot to answer to for a 3.0 year. Whether or not Princeton and Stanford totally overlook 9th grade is not a given. What we know is they just don't tally it in their index.</p>

<p>Every ivy could fill every class with 4.0/2400s. You need great grades, teachers who say you are hard working and exceptional and amazing ECs. Today's college reality.</p>

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<p>A-san. as far as I am concerned, every kid who wants to apply to the top schools should just go on ahead and do so. You never really know. You should read "What It Really Takes To Get Into the IVies" by Chuck Hughes to get an idea of what a class in the highly selective school is comprised of. Often it is not the top 5% or even 3% of a class but the top 1-3 kids who are considered. Also something in additional to the test scores and grades is heavily considered. That said, who knows what you have going for you that may be on some college's wish list when the time comes for you to apply.</p>

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<p>Zagat, even at Andover (the one I can personally speak for) getting Bs andCs fosh year means kissing ivies bye bye. If you do something amazing maybe, but really, A-san needs to be looking at reality.</p>

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<p>jamimom, ofcourse I will apply to every college I am interested, but I am curious, what are my odds at this point. I will take a look at that thread.</p>

<p>EDIT: Princeton is a goodie. :) Anything that is excellent and near New York is great for me.</p>

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<p>but really, its been 3 marking periods that I have gotten b's and c's, and I am pretty sure I can somehow get straight a's for the fourth marking period and hopefully the finals, therefore my averages will rise. Doesn't an improvement like that in such a short amount of time say something about a person?</p>

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<p>Usually highschool prepare a sanitized transcript to colleges that just have the year end grades. So most of the time the colleges do not get to see the ups and downs quarter to quarter, your midyear and final exam grades. Just on grade per course per year. Exception is if you drop a course and pick up a different level or different course in which case the mid year grade would be shown for the dropped course if you did not drop in time for it to be erased. </p>

<p>If you are asking if a mediocre freshman year can be forgiven, the answer is, yes, that is possible.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
Usually highschool prepare a sanitized transcript to colleges that just have the year end grades. So most of the time the colleges do not get to see the ups and downs quarter to quarter, your midyear and final exam grades. Just on grade per course per year. Exception is if you drop a course and pick up a different level or different course in which case the mid year grade would be shown for the dropped course if you did not drop in time for it to be erased.</p>

<p>If you are asking if a mediocre freshman year can be forgiven, the answer is, yes, that is possible.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Basically yes, that is my question. Plus, if they dont see them term to term, I assume I can explain it in my essay and how I got myself fully mobilized and excelled in my following years.</p>

<p>Do you have any suggestions, thoughts, regarding my situation? You seem to be well informed about this. :)</p>

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<p>btw, would my ethnicity count as anything? I am Puerto Rican - Jewish American. :)</p>

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<p>Jamimom, this has been something we're all looking at recently. It does not seem that any ivy excused a weak year for any applicants from my school this year, a very top prep. One senior, who did exceptionally and then fell into an anorexic B plus year was rejected by even all lower ivies and many not top 5 LAC schools. All of those who didn't start strong were rejected from HYPS.</p>

<p>What have you seen?</p>

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<p>yeah, but we are talking about freshmen year and going up and staying up until senior year...</p>

<p>Not going up, then going back down, and then going back up.</p>

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<p>Good luck A san and shoot for your dream, just don't count on the very top schools, there are just too manay who get everything perfect from the start.</p>

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<p>My son has some weak spots on his transcript including a sophomore year that was not stellar. I have seen a number of kids who have gotten in despite a weak freshman year or a weak spate. This is all anecdotal, of course. It seems that if the school really wants the student, it can be excused. The chances, however, that the kid will be one of the pure academic admits without some fantastic achievement is indeed zilch. But if a kid has a weak freshman year, does fantastically afterwards, is an unusual scholar in a fascinating field with some stellar achievement, say wins the Siemans/Westinghouse or has an advocate from inside the college, it is possible. Rare but possible. I know one young man this year with a 3.2 average who has been accepted to Cornell, for instance. However, if there is nothing to distinguish the candidate, I would not be hopeful. Not that these top schools are a shoo in for exceptional kids. But sometimes a match between a student's talents and the wishlist of a school dovetail so that even the top schools are willing to make an exception. I am talking about kids without special hooks such as athletics where these exceptions can happen often. Also kids from disadvantaged background who go to a step-up school will get special consideration for that freshman year, especially if they have an upward trend in their grades. Many kids who are in the ABC and Prep for Prep programs at my sons' schools have had horrendous freshman years, and no wonder, coming from dismal schools into a rigorous prep school. </p>

<p>However, if you fall into the the majority of good students that apply to the ivy with no distinguishment that attracts the school, you are disadvantaged over your peers who have similar stats AND have NO weak years. That is probably the largest category of applicants, and,yes, some kids in that category get accepted, but any blemishes on the record can eliminate you simply because of the competition for spaces and the very few spaces available. Someone who fulfills a need or desire for the school is a whole different story, and exceptions are always made for such kids. Without the rest of A-sans's future resume, we can't make any predictions. But if he applies as the proverbial BWRK, he will be at a distinct disadvantage over his peers in that category, some of whom will be accepted.</p>

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<p>To answer the easy question first: yes, ethnicity counts. Puerto Rican is infinitely more helpful than Jewish, which is not underrepresented in colleges.</p>

<p>As for the larger issue, though, I think what I find more problematic than your grades is the reason you give for wanting to attend these institutions in the first place. I may be reading this wrong, but from what you've written it looks like you have only just begun thinking about colleges and have begun, like all highschoolers considering colleges for the first time, by going through the Ivys because these are the first options highschoolers usually encounter. I remember doing the same: I wanted to know which institutions were best for me, and the first advice I came across was the very simple assessment of these as the best. The more involved answer - that different colleges are best for different people depending on major, preferences, and individual professors selected - is less satisfying and more difficult. Many Ivy League students will tell you that the actual quality of education there is neither better nor much different from that at good public and non-Ivy private universities. The situation I read you in is that you want to go to somewhere very exclusive merely because it is exclusive, but are trapped by the fact that exclusive means usually excluding applicants with first year scores similar to yours.</p>

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<p>What jami says makes total sense.</p>

<p>As for being Jewish-Puerto Rican, the latter can certainly help you. But it's relative. If you get a 3.0 at a school with many minorities and it's below top 10%, it probably won't help you at an ivy. </p>

<p>If you are disadvantaged financially in terms of your school and have a class rank that is high in relation to other minorities, that's where it helps.</p>