Hi, hopefully this is in the right subforum. I’m currently a senior in high school, and I’m really feeling discouraged. In middle school, I generally got all A’s and I got all A’s in 8th grade, including a couple high school classes. Then in 9th grade, I didn’t have my priorities straight and I got all B’s. Obviously, I wasn’t thinking about my future then. Then in 10th grade I got mostly A’s, and Junior year I got all A’s. I got a 1400 on my SAT and a 30 on my ACT (I really worked hard for the SAT and was aiming for a 1500. I actually got a 1450 but because of the curve, I got a 1400. This was a mere 20 point improvement from my 1380 months earlier, which I got without studying. I decided if this was how it was gonna be, I just wouldn’t drain my time, get hopeful and then get crushed in the end). Now it’s senior year and looking back to 9th grade I feel that rather than excelling I’m merely making up for the ground I lost. My unweighted GPA is a 3.5 and my weighted GPA is a 4.4. I see people around me with 3.8 GPAs, knowing that I could have gotten that had I kept my focus. I guess the question is, do I still have a chance? How will this translate to my future, and up until what point? Sorry for the long post, just had to get it off my chest. Thanks in advance.
First of all I know a lot of people in your situation, some that definitely haven’t handled it as well as you, so don’t get too down on yourself. If I were you, I wouldn’t worry too much. Although you didn’t start out strong, colleges love to see improvement. If an admissions office looks at your transcript and sees that you’ve steadily inclined and become successful, even with the addition of college level courses and higher difficulty classes, they would most likely be satisfied with the show of positive advancement. Your high SAT scores will also be an indication of your competency as a high level student. Don’t worry, looks like you’ll be fine!
Thanks, I needed that lol.
Yep, you do have a chance- a chance to pursue your goals/dreams. Good luck and enjoy the journey. While you regret your behavior in HS there is a lesson here that will benefit you in the future.
You definitely have a chance! Your improvement and work ethic will show.
Don’t let your GPA or SAT score define you. Think about it- your shoe size can be measured with a number, but your potential in life and your intelligence cannot. 
You’ve got the intelligence. It sound like you have an efficiency issue. You’ve heard “study smarter, not longer”? There are lots of things you can try from working in 25 minute chunks of time to getting study groups together. Perhaps pick up a book on study skills from the library - they’re generally easy reads. It is just a matter of figuring out what works for you. You have a B+ GPA and are obviously college-bound, so tweaking your study system now will continue to pay rewards later.
Don’t sweat it, just think of it as a learning experience and make sure you don’t repeat the same when you head to college next year (with your stats, you could get into some pretty good schools). I’m a senior too, and I know looking back that there are some things I wish I had done differently. All you can do is make sure you don’t repeat the same mistake again. It’s good that you’ve figured out that you didn’t reach your full potential now, many people take ages to figure that stuff out. GL, I’m pulling for you!
THere are 3000+ colleges in the USA. There is one for you.