Hi guys, it’s my first time posting on this site so bear with me if I make any mistakes or anything. I have a lot of questions and anyone who would answer would be very much appreciated. So far, I am a sophomore at high school and I wanted to ask how my grades are, which I know are really bad, and see what I can do about them. I got a 2.7 my freshman year and right now I have about a 2.5-2.6 for my first semester of Sophomore year. If I somehow get a 4.0 my second semester, what would my overall GPA for this year be like? I reallllllyyyy want to, and kinda have to, get into the University of Michigan for those of you who know about it. If, after this semester, I get perfect grades for the rest of my high school, excluding the final semester of Senior year, would I have a chance at the University of Michigan, or even The University of Pennsylvania? Another thing I wanted to ask is how should I make up for my terrible GPA? Right now, I have only 7 community service hours and Im in key club, which is really girly and embarrassing since I’m a guy. I started a chess club at my high school, and later this year, I plan on starting a model U.N, and starting KIVA my Junior year. I haven’t played any sports at school before, but I wanna do track and cross country, and I snowboard outside of school. Also, only AP I am taking this year is AP history, no other honors. I have a job that I only go to on Saturday as a waiter at a banquet hall that my dad owns. I have about 20 hours of work time there. This summer, I plan to go to Ghana as a part of the GLA, which is the High school wing of the Peace corps to do some volunteering. I am really not doing it for my app, but would that also look good too? Is there anything else you guys know about that can take colleges mind off my GPA? How should I study for the SAT and ACT? I have a book that I haven’t touched for the ACT and I know there are classes you can take. Im really interested in Business, mainly accounting and economics, and Politics, is there anyway I can incorporate those in my essay or application whatever? I just need to stand out and try to compensate for my GPA or my dad will kill me. Another question(This is for anyone who lives in Michigan, or knows about U of M and MSU) is will I be considered a failure if I don’t get into U of M but I get into MSU? I think I can get into MSU but I really don’t know about U of M. My final question is how does transferring work? My impression is that, for example, say I get into MSU(or any other college) and I stay for 4 years and get a good GPA, can I transfer to U of M or U Penn? If you can explain please do so.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to answer my very long question, as i’m sure you have had to answer others like this before, I also apologize for any spelling errors. Any additional information you can provide you really be appreciated, thanks.-A worried and screwed high school sophomore.
God I’m an idiot, I also forgot to mention that I play piano, would that help at all? I don’t think it would, since I’m not like a superstar, carnegie hall prodigy or anything, but I just wanna make sure, thanks.
One last thing I swear. Do colleges look at cumulative GPA or do they look at the GPA for each separate year. Which one is more important. I promise this is the last question.
UPenn is out of reach; there’s no way you can make up for that freshman year and the first semester of sophomore year. Only way to improve GPA is study harder. Get a tutor. Stop using the computer and open a book. What makes you think you can get a perfect 4.0 next semester and on when you did so poorly in the easiest year of high school?
Work hard! If you can, maintain a 4.0 gpa for the rest of your high school career. Take more weighted classes, if you can the handle course load.
I really have no clue about University of Michigan or what your final gpa will actually be, your E.C.s, and your test scores, not to mention you are a sophmore, so realistically I can't chance you.
To increase GPA: Have you failed any class (D or F) if you have retake those classes, also you can take classes outside of school, maybe a community college. Also try your hardest in high school.
4.Try to find some E.C.s that you are passionate about, sounds like you dislike Key club maybe leave that, and find a club that you feel closer to. Start working at your dad’s banquet hall as a part-time job. Other than that your E.C.s are pretty good, and you have two more years to start and plan the clubs you are making.
You have to find your own way to study for the tests, I took the ACT and I studied by doing maybe two or three practice tests; however, I know a lot of people who take test prep courses. If you can you might want to take one of those.
Honestly, it doesn't matter whether you get into one school or another, as long as you are okay with going to MSU and like the environment. If you have a major in mind research colleges and the programs that pertain to the interest. Also if you do have an interest in a certain field maybe try finding opportunities in the field.
First, it will be visually better if you cut your one loooong paragraph to a few short ones. This way it is easier to read. and answer your questions.
Unfortunately, GPA IS the most important part of your college application, and what you currently have is way too low for consideration at U of Michigan and certainly and U Penn. They do like an upward trend, but historically, it is also unlikely that a student with a GPA in the mid-2s will suddenly get a 4.0, unless of course there was a clear reason (e.g. you were sick, absent most of the time, recovering from something, etc).
Having said that, it is never impossible. It is just unlikely. If you were to have a shot, you should really, really make it up in your standardized testing, EC, and letters. But it might be easier, or more realistic, to try to raise your GPA as best you can and aim for schools a notch (or two!) lower than U of M and U of P.
As for your EC, it is quality and depth that is more important than quantity. So if you can select 2 or 3 of those that you listed and really try to “go the distance” with them, preferably at the national or state level, that will be more meaningful. And the more complementary they are to your field of study, the better. But they don’t necessarily have to. It is also nice to have different sides to you, but they key word here is you need to have depth in whatever you choose.
UMich considers GPA to be most important and now they count all 4 years of high school grades. By the time of your college application, you probably don’t have your senior GPA yet. Assuming you will get 4.0 from now on, your cumulative uwGPA would be much much lower than the admission average of 3.85 for UMich. Upward trend is good, but the admission stat already includes that (those with below average admission GPA mostly have upward trend). So it would be a very high reach for you. Note that 21% of enrolled freshmen last year has GPA 4.0 from high school. That is how serious they are about GPA.
Lets be realistic…with your 2.6 GPA for the first semester, I do not think that you will be able to score a 4.0 for the rest of your high school life. Even if you do, colleges may think that this is grade inflation. Do you do your homework and turn in daily assignments? If you are turning these in late or slacking on them, do not do so. Even though daily assignments and homework are minor parts of your grade, they are easy to score full points on. Also, talk to your teacher/counselor about your goals and grades. They might be able to offer you extra credit assignments or test re-takes. Something you should understand is that it takes time for you to bring your grades up. It is not an overnight process to dream of having a perfect GPA the next day. Be patient. Give yourself some time and set realistic goals. If you really end up with a decent GPA and test scores, try explaining why your freshman and sophomore years of high school did not go so well in your essays. Also, there are other nice schools you could aim at instead of the ones you chose. At this point, I would not worry about what colleges would think. Instead, I would try to bring my grades up, if I were you. Also, do remember that you need a rec letter for any college. So, maintain good relations with your teachers and counselor, so that they give you decent recs.
Hope this helps!
Good Luck!
Thank you to all who answered, while some answers were pessimistic and others more optimistic, I feel as though these answers will really help me throughout my high school career, thanks!