My grade history is:
Freshman year-
CP Algebra 1 CD: B+
CP French 2A-:A
CP French 2b: A
Honors Algebra-2A:B-
Honors Algebra-2B:B+
Honors Biology Part A: A-
Honors Biology Part B:B+
Honors English 9:A-
Honors English 9: A-
Honors World Civ: A
Honors World Civ: A
Sophomore year so far:
AP Euro: B-
AP Euro part B: B-
CP French 3A- A
Hon. Chem A: A-
Hon. Chem B: B-
Hon English A: A-
Hon English B: B+
Hon Geo A: B+
Hon Geo B: B+
So basically i’m getting eh grades in the hardest classes I’m allowed to take. Do you think it would be best to continue taking hard classes and getting B’s, or taking lower classes and getting A’s?
I’m too stupid for ivy league obviously but I still want to go to a good school. I have no idea what my chances are because some colleges have their average acceptance gpa at like 3.6 but idk if that’s because the people who got in took easy classes and got good grades, or people who took hard classes and got good grades.
I would prefer a large university and price doesn’t matter.
I don’t really know about majors but I’m leaning more towards earth science related fields.
Location: Preferably somewhere where I could hike, camp ,ski, or do things outdoors.
You should have plenty of options. Some suggestions…
talk to your guidance counselor
get your hands on some college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) and start reading. You can probably find them at your HS guidance office, in the public library, or for sale.
If your HS has Naviance that is an invaluable tool for seeing what colleges people with your stats from your HS got into.
try using the supermatch function on the left – under find a college
find out any limitations your parents may have for your college choices (not only $ but location etc.)
Think about other things you may or may not want in a college (ex. big time sports, Greek life etc.)
For geological sciences and the likes, there are CSUs within your reach: Chico, East Bay, San Bernardino, etc. These are mid-sized/large universities and affordable. Ohio State, Arizona State, etc. are suitable as well.
You may visit your guidance counselor; s/he will know of many schools within your capabilities. College Board and other websites also help you select schools that match your preferences.
Colleges may say the average GPA of their freshmen is 3.6, but an average means there are many students with GPAs below that and many students with GPAs above that. Don’t stress too much over it. Continue to work hard and challenge yourself with difficult classes, and there will be schools that see your potential.
If you are being challenged but not overwhelmed with your current course difficulty, I would stay the course. There are many schools that would happily accept a 3.5 student, although you are correct that the Ivies have a higher standard.
What state are you in? If you live in the west, you can get reduced tuition at schools in the Western Undergraduate Exchange that would satisfy your desire for outdoor activities.
I would stop worrying about college right now and think about what you want out of your education.
Are you stressed out or do you enjoy the challenge of the hard classes. That should determine your choices not which colleges to go to.
You’re not stupid at all.
When it comes time to look at colleges, you can see where you are stats wise. There will certainly be a multitude of good colleges that will match your stats, your interests and your pace of life. There is a great college waiting for you.
Just as an example, I can easily see you at the University of Colorado Boulder, maybe University of Washington. You are certainly on track for that.
Western Washington U is in a beautiful outdoors environment between the mountains and the sea and is reasonably priced. There may be some scholarship money for OOS, check it out!
Almost any State University. Consider U Mass Amherst for price reasons, UC Boulder would be a safety if your parents are ok with oos tuition, as they use weighted GPA. I suspect that most state u’s use some form of weighting,
so keep taking challenging courses.