High school sophomore w/ academic issues...advice?

Applying to College
1

So I currently do not know how to assess my situation.
I am in the last week of my sophomore year, finishing with 4 B’s, one C, and one A in my academic classes.
My current weighted academic gpa is 3.31, and my total gpa is 3.43. Throughout high school I have gotten myself two C’s in the last semester of both my freshmen year algebra class as well as my sophomore year non-honors geometry.
As a sophomore at my high school, I have only been allowed to take one AP class (apah), in which I got a B in both semesters. Otherwise, I am only in two other weighted (honors) classes which I have gotten B’s in both for both semesters.
As you can see, one may say im basically screwed.
I have no other excuse for the state of my academic grades except for my own personal issues with will power to learn and do well in my classes. Though the motivation of going to a good college is there, I find it hard to use as a driving force to end my study habits (procrastination) because it seems far away and unrealistic in my subconscious. Because of this, I suffer academically, even though the material of my classes are not hard. (I could go on and on but thats a whole nother issue ._.)
The highlights of my high school accomplishments have been my extracurricular, fine art programs outside of school and in general establishing some portfolio pieces for visual arts.(I would say I am above average skill level for my age) I also am on varsity swim (though not outstanding). I have also taken courses at my local community college, in which i have gotten 2 A’s in Intro the Psych and Chinese 1, but on the downside, 2 B’s in Chinese 2 & 3 bc laziness/uninterested. I plan on taking 3 more classes at cc over the summer (history of rock music, philosophy, abnormal psychology) which i am confident I will get A’s in all three because of my genuine interest and foundation knowledge.
Next Year (junior year) I will be taking 2 AP’s (AP studio and AP World) and 1 honors (honors European literature), but the rest are normal unweighted classes. I also plan on taking some more classes at CC.

So all in all, my desired/favored pathway of goals are
1. to raise my weighted gpa to a 3.7/3.8 ish after junior/senior year, do good on SAT (2200 +) , intern for some kind of psychological research experiment, win some kind of national fine arts competition, apply to colleges for fine arts/psychology ( Nyu, UCB, idk…) and get in.

OTHERWISE…, which I my main dilemma, is the possibility of
2. graduating HS early in junior year, spend 1 year at CC and load up on courses, (do well, get 4.0 gpa) , transfer to my dream schools (Nyu, UCB…etc). This seems easier to me because as opposed to the first one, my goals of college would feel dependent entirely upon myself and no other option. (more pressure, more motivation)

Which of the two would you decide on, and do I have possible alternative pathways? Any thoughts/opinions/words of wisdom for my situation?

also, My long term pursuits are to attend four year university (NYU, UCB) with a double major or major/minor in psychology/fine arts or studio arts, go to graduate school and study Neuropsychology or Biological Psychology, and in the end become a scientist in the field who conducts research/studys (lol).

Sorry for the lengthiness, I dont know what information is important (first time posting)
But anything helps

Thanks

2

  1. with two years under your belt, it’s impossible to raise your cumulative GPA to 3.8. Assuming your current cum GPA is 3.43, if you achieve a 4.0 for your next three semesters your max GPS is 3.67.

  2. Perhaps you should take fewer CC classes and instead, bear down on the main portions of your HS transcript. That’s what jumps out at me. The conventional wisdom is to take as rigorous a courseload as possible, while doing well.

  3. Your plan to graduate early, go to CC and then transfer is full of holes. You’ll only appear less stable and attractive to top programs, not more. The sorts of CC transfers into top programs are kids who did exceedingly well in HS but for some reason, had to go to CC. You’re not the former – so eschewing a solid curriculum your 12th year is academic suicide.

  4. You need to take UCB/NYU off your map today. They reject kids left and right with 50x better study habits and natural academic ability as you currently possess. This isn’t a judgment call against you – I’m basing this on what you’ve stated you’ve realized about yourself. And it’s also the reality of their applicant pools. They turn away tons of +3.8GPA students because they must. Your walking up with a 3.5 or 3.6 won’t get you past the first cut.

Your goals should be:

a) become the best student you can be in the classes you have. Focus on getting a 4.0 next semester. Drop ECs if needed. They sorts of schools you’ll be viable for won’t use ECs as admit criteria.

b) while turning around your study habits, prep for ACT/SAT. These two things will most affect your college choices come your senior year. (drop that crazy idea about graduating early, go to CC and then trying to transfer into a top 4 year college).

3

My advice to you is to find a 4 year college that suits you. It probably won’t be NYU or any of the UCs but there are plenty of colleges for B students that aren’t CC.

4

T26E4 is spot on. Forget the dream school idea for now. And I think you are spinning your wheels taking all these comm college classes for no real purpose. Why continue with Chinese 2and 3 if you weren’t interested? History of rock music and philosophy may be very interesting classes, so continue with Cc if you are doing it to enrich yourself, but no college, except for perhaps the state you live in, will give you transfer credits. And credits that do transfer in are usually general Ed, such as english and math. Colleges want to see you doing your best at your high school.

In your shoes, I would stop the comm college because I don’t see a point (other than interest) and focus on doing your very best in the classes you take at high school. If you love art, continue the art, but you can’t “plan” to win a national art competition. Has anyone such as an art teacher assessed your work? If not, ask for honest opinions, and apply to a college with a strong art department where you can also take psychology classes.

Please also recognized that you are not “screwed.” Your are not going to get into Harvard or UCB with your grades, but there are plenty of great colleges that would love to have you, so start looking for those. Did you do the PSAT? If so, use that number as an indicator of your likely SAT score, and you can plug in your grades and start finding colleges that you can get into. Over the summer you should do some practice ACt and SAT tests to see which you prefer. The SAT has changed format, the new scale is up to 1600. Find recent SAT study guides which have current info, as the test changed as of this March.

5

Thankyou, I really appreciate these answers, huge wake up call.
I also would like to ask, if my unweighted gpa is above a 3.8 by getting As in rigorous courses, does that still make me off the table for nyu?
I am concerned about how I would not be able to apply and get into better universities. Hypothetically, if I were to apply with an outstanding (very outstanding, prodigious looking) art portfolio, would this better my chances despite my gpa? Hypothetically also adding a competent/ above average SAT score (2100/2200) and a good essay)
Or any good college really?
I live in California, and if I were to go to a UC, (UCI, UCSB, etc) would I be able to transfer my CC classes? I plan on taking many more psychology classes because intellectual curiosity and easiness.
Alternatively, if graduating early and spending one year at Cc is academic suicide, would spending two years there (my senior year and first year of college) be reasonable? I do not want to spend the first two years of undergrad at CC and then transfer if I were to take the route.

6

There are tons of fine colleges and universities out there, you just need to expand your horizons. Get your hands on a college guide book (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and start reading about schools that are a fit for your academic profile.

7

Comm college in CA can lead to a transfer into one of the bigger publics. Look at the guaranteed transfer program.

I think most if us are sensing that you haven’t made this change to better grades yet. It’s just an untested idea. Try it next year, then post.

You don’t want to set yourself up to be one of the kids on CC who get rejected, then beg and plead about their appeal letters. Not all kids are ready for the dream leap, many are still growing and getting g their acts together. And so many colleges are “just right” for those B kids, great places to continue growing. Look for them.

8

I would actually not cross NYU off just yet. If you can get a cumulative weighted 3.5 or higher, I would say you would have a fair chance (I got into NYU with about a little more than a 3.6 unweighted if I am not mistaken), provided you are striving for awesome extracurricular experiences and stellar test scores. UC Berkeley will be a lot tougher, but anything is possible. You cannot take back your past mistakes, so learn from your missteps, and make the most out of the part of the college application you CAN control.

9

It’s not just GPA. It’s what grades in what classes, incl those with rigor. They look at the dang transcript.

10

Let’s leave out NYU for a second and focus on UCB.

It’s unlikely you’ll get in, given the competition. So your other option is two years of CC with a guaranteed transfer. You graduate with a diploma from one of the finest universities in the world, and no one will know your first 2 years were elsewhere. If that’s your path, make sure you take classes that are transferable, and limit the classes you take for your own enrichment (audit them if you must.)

But it sounds like you want the 4-year college experience. Nothing wrong with that, but you may have to adjust your expectations. Take tougher academic courses, raise your GPA and rock the ACT/SAT and you certainly have a shot at some of the other UCs, and plenty Cal State Universities. They may not have the perceived glamour or “prestige” of Berkeley, but they are fine schools that will offer a fine education and that fun and enriching 4-year college experience.

Finally, NYU. If your family is willing to pay $70,000/year+ (NYU is notorious for bad financial aid) NYU could be within your reach if you raise your GPA and do well on the SATs.

But ask yourself: why NYU? It sounds glamorous, which is why it costs so dang much, but most people in the know understand that there are literally hundreds of other schools that offer a similar if not better education for a lot less.

Bottom line, you will have to do better in high school to get into reach schools. You will have to take demanding classes. Limit your ECs to something you really care about and focus on academics.

Finally, educate yourself about the options available to you, especially if your parents are willing to pay top dollar (pretty much a requirement for NYU.) The reality is, you will have hundreds of options.

11

Try to finish your senior year strong. Then go to a CA CC with the goal of doing really well and transferring to one of the non-flagship UCs. If your CC grades continue to track as solid Bs like your high school grades, you’ll still have a good choice of Cal State’s, many of which have strong arts programs. You could also apply to Cal State campuses directly out of high school if you find some with programs you like (which I think you could easily find if you look).

My cousin’s son is an artist type. He went to a southern directional university (without the name recognition that Cal State has) and besides getting a good general education he created a top notch portfolio. After working for a few years, he enrolled in a graduate program at NYU which he loves and which is opening a lot of doors for him. As a working adult, he is in a position to enjoy living in NYC much more than he would as an 18 year old undergraduate (or 17 year old in your case).

12

there’s so many good California UCs…what’s wrong with UCI, UCD, UCSD? Or other schools for that matter out there. The reason schools like NYU and UCB have such low rates is because not everyone is academically prepared for those schools. And that’s so normal and fine. And you can still go great places in life without going to the best undergrad schools ever if you do well in college. Your GPA right now if a downfall, but I wouldn’t say you are ruled out. However, you have a lot of theoreticals right now (SAT, research, competitions). It’s difficult to give you a chance without having solid achievements.

However, if you work really hard next year and change your study habits, I think your chances will improve a lot. Look, you’ve already got the motivation and realized your mistakes. That’s a huge step!

Good luck !

13

http://www.assist.org will tell you which California community college courses are equivalent to which courses for each UC or CSU. You can even get listings by major, so if you to start college at a community college, you know what you need to take for your major at your target UCs and CSUs.

14

Do your best and broaden your perspective as you mature. The top UCs are designed for the top 3% of CA high school students. Perhaps that doesn’t include you. There is no shame in that and there are MANY other places you can earn a perfectly respectable BS/BA degree with a B+ average and decent SAT/ACT score.

That said, with a B+ GPA at the end of sophomore year, graduating early so you can get on to college work is probably a fools errand. You still have a lot to learn and some maturing to do. Slow down, take classes that interest you, participate in your school community and enjoy every day of high school. You have 80 years to be a grown up.

15

Alright so I got into NYU for the fall of 2016 and let me tell you something. During my sophomore year, I was in a position like yours. I had 1 A, 5 B’s and a C in AP Computer Science. I had personal problems, and went through a lot.

I had 3.5 freshman and sophomore year. But Junior and Senior year, I had an above 4.0 GPA. To raise my GPA, I even took online classes.

My final weighted GPA was a 3.88. But with a lot of hard work I got a 2140 on my SAT.

I too had a lot of extracurriculars. I think that in two years you could definitely be a qualified applicant for NYU. Apply to the Tisch School of arts and send in your art portfolio!

Good luck

16

Relax! There are thousands of student’s in your position - you do NOT need to go to Stanford, USC or NYU to enjoy a great college or uni that is right for you. Use the “FIND A COLLEGE” tab on this site and find some schools that ARE a good fit. Good Luck!