<p>I just finished sophomore year with a cumulative GPA of 3.31. I really bombed sophomore year. I really want to have a 3.6 GPA or higher by the time I graduate from High School. Actually I really want to have a 3.7, but is it possible? I only have two more years of High School left. Do I have enough time? I applied for AP English 11 and World History, so will that help dramatically? Also, when do I suppose to apply for scholarships? I'm closer to University of Maryland, so I'm interested in going there.</p>
<p>That's another thing that stresses me out. What if I don't make ALL A's!?</p>
<p>I didn’t come close to all As. I still got into a variety of respected schools and am happy with where I am attending. If the admission criteria for colleges were “Who has straight As,” then there would be no need for these forums and people would be punished for learning rather than choosing the easiest possible courses.</p>
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It depends on many things. Is this weighted? Unweighted? Do you take the same number of courses each term? Are they all graded? Is a 4.0 the highest you can get in any class? Finishing with a 3.6 and a strong final two years will look better than someone who gets a 3.6 by doing well the first two years and not so well the final two.</p>
<p>What’s important is for you to learn from the courses in which you did poorly. Why was this the case? Did you not study well? If so, is there a way to improve this? Was your writing poor?</p>
<p>Worry about doing your best and learning from the past, not about the past itself. Then you’ll see what’s possible and what’s not.</p>
<p>My GPA is unweighted so far. I take the same number of courses each quarter, which is 8 and I’m going to be taking two AP classes in the 11th grade, which is on a 5.0 scale and the other 6 classes will be on a 4.0 scale. I plan on taking AP classes in the 12th grade too. I think I screwed up because I procrastinated a lot on assignments and I did poorly on tests and quizzes. I was also sick most of the school year.</p>
<p>Numerically it is still possible to get a 3.7 (weighted, since not counting that APs are out of 5 instead of 4, it’s impossible), but don’t worry about it. Work on procrastination, study habits, and test taking before you worry about an overall GPA. Otherwise, the GPA could be even lower by graduation.</p>
<p>My school didn’t calculate GPA at all, so I don’t know for sure. I personally believe an unweighted GPA says more than a weighted one, while the two in tandem says more than just one, while the transcript says much more than a GPA could ever say. For example, what does a 3.7 actually mean? Is that good? Or bad? It depends on the school and it’s hard for colleges to know exactly what it means at your school. Besides, one can get a 3.7 taking really easy courses or a 3.7 taking a nightmarishly difficult schedule, and just looking at GPAs doesn’t say much.</p>
<p>Well, I can only take two AP classes 11th grade and four for 12th grade, if I decide on taking them. I’m completely aware of how rigorous the curriculum is and I’m ready to challenge myself. Your school didn’t calculate GPA? I don’t understand.</p>
<p>It is true that colleges only look at unweighted GPA. However, they also look at rigor, so don’t expect to take basket weaving and have your 4.0 carry the same weight as the person who got the 3.7 from IB. Furthermore, weighted GPA does matter, but indirectly. A lot of colleges look carefully at class rank, and in that regard, the higher a GPA you have compared to your peers, the better you’ll do.</p>
<p>I’m still a litttle stressed out. My GPA dropped from a 3.75 to a 3.31! I’m in extreme shock. All my plans of scholarships and programs seem to be out of reach now.</p>
<p>The colleges will then know that you’re limited to at most 6 AP courses, of which they will only see yearlong grades in at most 2. What I’m trying to say is that not all AP Us History courses are the same, for instance. Your school may be challenging compared to many other similar schools, making a B an acceptable grade in a course. On the other hand, it may be less rigorous, making a B a poor grade. That you’re ready to challenge yourself is good, and I encourage you to learn from last year.</p>
<p>My school believed that colleges should not be looking at a GPA, but rather the transcript, test scores, recs, essays, extracurriculars, and so forth. It’s too easy to artificially boost one’s GPA by taking easy courses, which skews comparisons. Even within the same course, different teachers will grade slightly differently, making comparisons like that dangerous.</p>
<p>Similarly, no class rank is calculated. The reason, given to all colleges to which students apply, is as follows. “The faculty has chosen not to rank students. Because of the highly
competitive nature of admission…the variety of academic backgrounds of our students and the various points at which students may enter the school, attempting to calculate a numeric rank that reflects the strengths and differences within and among students would not yield a fair or useful picture of a graduating class.”</p>
<p>^
I know exactly how you feel. My GPA went from a 3.86 to a 3.3 something. After this summer it will be a 3.43 but still under a 3.5. I’m going to have to get all 96+ in my classes next semester to have a 3.5 and I’ll never be higher than a 3.7. All I can say is good luck, I don’t know what to do either.</p>
<p>I think Uroogla gave the best and most honest advice here. The only way it will really work for you, Hanson435 and aigiqinf is to concentrate on the future courses you will take, self-criticize what went wrong in the past that caused the drop in the GPA and then try your very, very best to get the best grades you can for the rest of your high school career. If you put your mind to concentrate on doing your best, you can overcome the fear inside of you. I think if you really do that, whatever the outcome at the end, you have a strong case to explain to the admission committee that you have accepted responsibilities and learned from your mistakes and try to improve. This attitude, is by far, the most important in life. Also, if you can take the AP exams at the end of the course and score a “5”, it is also a way to counter those bad grades to show that you have the ability and the will to do well. Hope it makes sense and good luck.</p>
<p>Okay, how will that “5” on the AP exams help my GPA? lol
Sorry about me being overdramatic, but I’m just so afraid of messing up again.
I appreciate the advice.</p>
<p>It will not actually raise your GPA but doing well on the AP can counter argue that you are good at a particular subject that you had a bad grade on. Since colleges look at the whole package, it can help if your GPA is not as satisfactory</p>
<p>im a sophmore too, and i ended up with a B in French 2~<em>~ its the hardest class considering i got a late start into French 1. i got a 4.33 and i need to not worry about it and start worrying about junior year i have 5 AP and 1 HP O</em>__o, so im spending some of this summer to fix my procrastination habits, study habits, and motivation.</p>