I’m a student of a mediocre high school in a small town (it’s actually an island). I had a good start in my freshman year. 4.0 (unweighted) GPA with one AP and Algebra 2 (a very rare case in the school I go to). Yet, this year as sophomore, I’m doing very poorly. I had 3.91 GPA (4 A-) in the first semester and another 3.91 GPA for having a B in chemistry. The actual problem here is that I want to major in Science, but I have heard that having bad grades like that Science is critical if I want to major in that field. Please don’t go too harsh on me, but am I over now? Would I have no chance with getting into universities like University of Washington? Sorry if I posted this in a wrong section of the forum…
A 3.91 is NOT “doing very poorly.” One B will not keep you out of any school.
I wouldn’t be freaking out if it was just one B in other classes, but it’s a subject that I want to study around… I understand that 3.91 is not too bad. However, it just shows how incompetent compared to other kids who might be applying to the same school.
I recommend that you get over the B and aim for an A in AP Chemistry some time in the future. Your B in sophomore year simply shows that you have room to improve, not that you’re incompetent compared to others. If you can improve to the point where you get an A in AP Chemistry in junior year (or whatever time in the future), that would be great. Don’t let a B early on destroy your dreams. Push past it, and improve!
Ktong777, thank you for your inspirational advise. It is true that I need to get over myself.
A 3.9 unweighted is a great GPA and if you can keep it up, you’ll have no problem getting into UW for science. Junior year will be more challenging and keeping that GPA will require hard work. BTW your school isn’t “mediocre” if you are offered AP as a freshman and already at Alg 2.