<p>So, I screwed up this year. Big time. I don't know what happened, I just lost it. I choked on my Calc exam, twice. Got a F the first semester, D the second. I had a 3.7 GPA plus a ton of ECs and a job up until this year. I'm a junior in HS, but also a freshman in college. This year, my first semester GPA was 2.15, second semester was 2.67. I kept in band at my high school the first semester, plus a band at the University of Minnesota TC (which is where I'm doing PSEO). I couldn't play high school tennis, but I still play through my club. No awards or anything, I'm not very good. I still have my job, but it's only from April-September/October, not year round. Didn't do band second semester, still play tennis though. I do karate year round, but my dojo doesn't let us compete unless we're a black belt, or one belt away, so I have no awards or anything for that. I am in NHS, if I don't get kicked out for my GPA. I mentor year round. So my GPA sucks beyond belief, my ECs are average to weak, how screwed am I for getting into a good school? Or even getting into a crappy school with a scholarship. I need scholarships, because my family is broke, I'm broke, everyone is broke. My ACT is a 33 with a 10 on my essay. Not as good as I want it to be, but I can't retake it because my school only allows one fee-waiver per year (as in 2013). Even if I get a 4.0 from here on out, can I kiss any Ivy's good bye? (They were reaches even when I had a good GPA.) Should I drop out of PSEO and go back to my high school to try and up my GPA? I hate my high school. They're all intolerant, red-neck wanna be's and my school is crap and has a horrible selection of classes. They're easy, but is an easy 4.0 better than a hard 3.0? I hate small town, middle of nowhere Minnesota. (I drive over 30 min, both ways, each day to get to the U)</p>
<p>I think Ivies were a big reach anyway–nothing personal–they are a big reach for everyone. I don’t think you are screwed at all, except that your expectations sound like they are unrealistic. I think you should re-evaluate your goal colleges. The most important thing is finding schools you can afford, finding schools that will give you nice scholarships. Your ACT is great, and some schools (not the ones you want) will give you automatic scholarships just for that. I think you need a reality check about what is important (prestige–well it’s just bragging rights vs. what is do-able). </p>
<p>Getting a D in a college calculus class as a HS junior is nothing to be ashamed of. Your “redneck” high school probably didn’t prepare you properly, plus Calculus junior year is pretty good. I am sure colleges will be impressed by what you are trying to do, whether or not you got a good grade. Take it again. Don’t beat yourself up over it.</p>
<p>ECs are overrated. Your ECs are fine. The most important factor is rigor of your curriculum (you got that!), then grades (good until now, but not bad under the circumstances) and test scores (which are great).
Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you, redpoint.</p>
<p>I know I’m unrealistic. I’ve been told my whole life “You’re going to be something” and “Wow, you’re totally going to an Ivy League school, aren’t you?” etc etc. A lot of pressure. A lot. lot, LOT of pressure. I also have NO (zip, zilch, nada, zero) study skills (due to a lack of challenging courses and stuff. I’m sorry, that sounds like I’m bragging or that I think I’m a genius. I’m not a genius. I was just smart in elementary school and the reputation sorta followed me I guess. (small town problems) Any suggestions for mid-range schools that I could look into? I’m planning on majoring in Architecture (or maybe Engineering, Spanish, or Political Science) which seems to eliminate a lot of schools. Is there a list somewhere of schools that offer scholarships just off of ACT scores?</p>
<p>I don’t know if you will find anything here, but there’s this:</p>
<p>[65</a> Colleges with Guaranteed Merit Scholarships | The Collegiate Blog](<a href=“http://www.thecollegiateblog.org/2012/07/17/65-colleges-with-guaranteed-merit-scholarships/]65”>Loading...)</p>
<p>and this</p>
<p>[National</a> Liberal Arts Colleges That Offer Full Ride Scholarships | The Collegiate Blog](<a href=“Loading...”>Loading...)</p>
<p>also look at this:</p>
<p><a href=“Colleges and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com”>Colleges and Universities That Award Merit Aid - Graphic - NYTimes.com;
<p>A great book to read about getting a reality check on college finances plus finding the best deal/best school for you is The College Solution. There is also a College Solution Blog.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t know about architecture . .</p>
<p>I’m confused. Are you a rising senior in high school? What is PSEO?</p>
<p>Are you considered to be a “dual enrolled” student (in high school and some kind of early start college program)??</p>
<p>What is your cum GPA? </p>
<p>It sounds like you’re low income? Is that right?</p>
<p>Anyway, ivies are probably definitely out. A 33 is modest for an ivy, and then your recent GPA as a junior probably is the nail in the coffin. </p>
<p>If you want to do architecture then that will certainly limit your choices since that major isn’t offered at a lot of schools. Does UMinn-TW have it? If so, that would likely be your best bet for that. </p>
<p>Try to figure out if that’s the career you want. It would be a shame to limit your school choices based on a rather limited major only to have you change your mind once enrolled at a school picked solely for that major.</p>
<p>Eng’g, Spanish, History, Arch, and Poly Sci seem to point in a few different directions. It seems like you’re trying to decide between some kind of design area (arch or eng’g) and Liberal Arts. What would your plans be with the other majors? Law school? Teaching?</p>
<p>Take that Calculus class over the summer at a nearby community college if you can, to get the grade erased (if possible), or a better one added into your GPA.
Since you’re commuting to the U through PSEO and you seem to hate your HS, keep doing it next year, but choose your classes to make sure you can play up your strengths.</p>
<p>ACT 33 is pretty impressive, sufficient to qualify you for many scholarships.
If you are a first-gen, meaning your parents didn’t graduate from a 4-year college, try to join upward bound or trio, or an afterclass program that will help you.
Take day trips to colleges (if necessary, camp out to save money :p)
Gustavus Adolphus is a very good school and you have a shot. I’m also thinking of Ripon depending on how well you do in summer class or 1st semester.
ND and SD schools aren’t that selective and I think they apply tuition exchange with MN, plus Augustana College is pretty good but less selective than it could be due to the fact it’s in SD :).
In the Twin Cities alone you have several colleges: make sure to visit each of them, to leave your name at the admission’s office, to ask for an interview (prepare a couple questions for the interview 
and if necessary ask to meet with the financial aid office since admission officers may not be all that knowledgeable about FA). All these proofs of interest will help when admision time comes around.
Do you want to stay in MN or would you rather go out of state? If OOS, would you like to stay in the Midwest?
UMN-Morris is a little oasis if your GPA doesn’t get back up to where you’d like it to be - fairly easy to get into but high quality teaching and kids who may be rural but were the misfits from their redneck high schools.
Truman State is a little bit like it but in warmer climes and it’s fairly inexpensive even for OOS students.
If you want to discover new areas, Southern Oregon is easy to get into and would be a safety for you but the academics are better than the entering stats would let you suppose.
There’s the Wisconsin/MN tuition exchange so you could look into the WI colleges, too.
Then you have all the private colleges: find some where your ACT will get you some merit money to complement your need-based award (don’t look at the sticker price, ie the total published: use the “net cost calculator” to see how much you’d pay - many private colleges turn out to be cheaper than you’d have thought and even cheaper than some publics.)
With a few more details I’m sure the CC community could present you with even more options.
Don’t forget to look at the 4-year graduation rate and do not trust for-profit schools (as the name indicates, their goal is not to teach you and help you graduate, their goal is to use you to make as much profit as is possible).
I second the suggestion about “The college solution” (book likely at your public library, blog entirely free online)</p>
<p>“Wow, you’re totally going to an Ivy League school, aren’t you?”
People who don’t know many schools know the Ivy League. It’s their way of saying you’ll be going out east to a private school where many rich kids go.
Not all these schools are Ivy League but many of them are excellent anyway.
Can you get your GPA back up thanks to summer school?</p>
<p>"A lot of pressure. A lot. lot, LOT of pressure. "
Sounds like this year, you cracked. But your posting here means you’re picking yourself up and are looking for solutions.
Don’t focus on other people. They’re either trying to wish you well (in which case, say thank you and that you’re working on your college plans) or trying to shoot you down (I don’t have any specific advice except to not give in to bullies which is not any real kind of advice at all. :()
They may also have placed expectations on you: the ONE who will make it out of our town, who will do something with himself. And you want that for yourself but you can’t carry all that on your own.
If I may, I’d like to recommend you read a couple books: Make Lemonade, a novel by V Euwer Wolf, and A Hope in the Unseen, a non fiction story that follows a boy from junior year in HS to sophomore year in college by Ron Suskind.
In addition, this great blog by a first gen, Hispanic student from Kansas who chronicles his quest for a top college, a scholarship, and his life as a senior, may be of particular interest to you :
[Leobardo</a> Espinoza Jr. - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/author/leobardo-espinoza-jr/]Leobardo”>Leobardo Espinoza Jr. - The Choice Blog - The New York Times)</p>