<p>Relative is a freshman now, and got into fairly difficult classes because she did well(unusually) on the placement tests and the aps. Now she's below average in the topics she actually LIKED not just forced to take, and apparently she's doing nothing but studying. She's afraid she can't go to graduate school because her gpa's apparently lower than 3.
I already told her it's ok and at least say there for a year (I mean a semester isnt' even over yet) and I'm pretty sure she'll be alright. But honestly she won't listen. She did this every year she thought was a little hard in the beginning, dropping out of classes that she got an A+ in anyways. </p>
<p>Oy... idk wut to do? Why does the responsibility fall on me? I'm only a sophomore in high school!</p>
<p>I laughed when I read this post.
Williams is a VERY tough academic institution, accepting the brightest academically (but maybe not the brightest in life).
Most of the students that come here were in the top 5% of their high school class (unless it was an athlete the coaches simply HAD to have). Thus I can understand why your sister (I assume that she is your sister) is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that she is no longer the smartest person in her microcosm.
That being said, it is a BAD idea to transfer out of a top tier school like Williams unless you are going to a similarly tiered school. Graduate schools will see this and deduce that she ran away because it was simply "too hard" and she needed to be back in an environment where she is the smartest. BAD idea. A 2.5 at Williams is a 3.0 anywhere else, a 3.0 here is similarly a 3.5 anywhere else.
Just tell your sister to bear it. The education she is getting is unparalleled when compared to any state school or second-tier liberal arts college. If anything, tell her this analogy that is currently getting me through this damned institution. </p>
<p>What would you rather have, a two-ply piece of diploma toilet paper from Williams or a one-ply diploma from anywhere else?</p>
<p>Williams is very demanding academically and smart kids who were used to being at the top of their highschool class can be intimidated and stressed to find themselves struggling instead of breezing through assignments. I remember what the former dean told the parents at orientation: At some point -- usually mid-way through the first semester -- most students come to the conclusion that their admission was a horrible mistake by the adcom and that they will never be able to catch up. Things usually settle down toward the end of the term and students get into the cadence of the work.</p>
<p>I think the best advice to give your relative is for her to take advantage of the tremendous support facilities that Williams offers. Meet with professors, join study groups, submit papers to the writing center -- and if she just needs a soft shoulder talk to her JA. She'll find out she's not alone.</p>