Currently I am a freshman in high school, and like most people on here (CC) I want to get to one of the Ivies.
At the moment I feel as if I am not good enough.
I have no idea what is happening.
I am in all regular level classes. No honors or AP (my school doesn’t offer AP freshman year) and I was not able to get grades I expected to get for 1st quarter:
English: 91
HPE: 99
Algebra I: 87
World History: 75 (idk what happened)
Art: 92
Biology: 84
2nd marking period started about last week and my grades are:
English: 88
HPE: 100
Algebra I: 64 (i really don’t know)
World History: 100 (didn’t put in test yet)
Art: N/A
Biology: 96
I moved up a math level at the end of 1st quarter and did very good.
We have a student teacher and most of the students are failing the class, I got a 60 on the most recent quiz and didn’t have enough time to study for it because I had tests in every other subject that day.
Since the beginning of the year I was looking into taking Geometry over the summer because I want to take more challenging courses next year but I am afraid that it will mess me up in time for the SAT’s (I want to take my first one at the end of next year). I already spoke to my counselor about it and she said go for it if I really wanted to, but the administration will have to approve of me doing so.
Should I get a tutor for History?
Should I not take the SAT’s next year?
I am just so stuck right now I don’t know what to do.
why do you want to take the sat at the end of sophomore year?
why do you want your parents to pay a quarter million while you can get the same education for an 8th of that at a state school?
oops, my mistake. I mean’t the SAT subject tests.
I would like to take one of the subject tests sophomore year because I think I would feel confident due to the fact that I find U.S. History a lot easier and relevant for me rather than World History. I am taking Honors Chemistry next year and if I do well for most of the year I may consider taking chemistry as well.
Like everyone else, an Ivy League is a reach no matter who you are (unless you have a big hook).
My goal would be receiving admission to one of them, but I am still looking at state schools.
Honestly, Freshman year is the breaking ball year for everyone, and I’m positive everyone will go through a snag at one point or another in their high school experience. If you’re struggling in math, it’s imperative you get a tutor who can help you. Also, keep in mind that an “ivy” is just a name-- there are plenty of good colleges other than ivy’s that you can get into which won’t require you to live your high school experience inside your house everyday. I recommend also you try to make a schedule; For example, when you get home knock out half your homework, relax, and then push through the rest of it.
Also, I mean this honestly don’t rush tests. From my personal experience as Valedictorian i rushed subject tests and the SAT I’s and it is permanently scarred on my transcripts with a 1580 SAT I that I could of taken a year later, like everyone else, and a 650 Bio M Sat II I wasn’t even prepared for. I truly feel you’re in the same situation, and my advice is to slow down, and focus primarily on your academics as a freshman you should not be worried about what college you’re going to end up at, and SAT’s imo. I wish you the best of luck and hope my shared experience helps show you that it’s better to hold off than rush.
I feel as if my problem is that I am not taking school seriously as much as I should.
The subject I am struggling with is World History, I am usually very good at history but I don’t know what I am doing that makes it so difficult. My teacher is notorious for his very hard tests and assignments.
I can easily pull up my math grade since math is very easy for me (sorry if that sounds pretentious), but I did not have enough time to study for the quiz (which is no excuse) and just made careless errors.
It’s no problem, I just hope you evaluate (take some time to think) about what you truly want and what will make you happy. Maybe school isn’t what you really want to do, and the thought of an Ivy league “name notorious school” just sounds appealing to you, but maybe you’re just off to a rough start… I hope you find what makes you happy, and if grinding through tough coursework and working towards your goal of getting into a top school is that, then more power to you!
I think you should meet with the teachers in the classes you are struggling with and see if they have any helpful advice. You should know why you did poorly on something. If you don’t how can you improve?
I think you need to overhaul your study habits. I had other tests that day so I couldn’t study?? Use a planner, know when your tests are, and schedule your studying accordingly. Also make sure you are not distracted when you study. Electronics are all a distraction, unless they are required to complete your work. Turn them all off.
I don’t understand why taking geometry over the summer would “mess you up” in time for the SAT’s which you are planning to take at the end of the year, though I don’t think you really need to–most students don’t take the SATs until junior year. Geometry seems like a very good idea to me, rushing into the SATs, not so much. I don’t think you are an advanced enough student to benefit from early testing, especially if you are only in geometry next year,–you won’t even have covered all the math yet for the SAT. If you want to get an idea what your scores might be, just take a practice test from a book or the free test from the college board.
I’m going to be blunt. You are not on track to get into a tippy top college. Students like that are generally taking all honors classes (or nearly all) and they are not struggling so much to get As. You can spend your high school years making yourself miserable over this, or you can accept that if you work hard, you can attend a good college, get a good education, a good job, and have a good life. Good luck to you.
I love going to school, learning, and studying (wow I sound like such a nerd lmao).
I like to be challenged in school, and I feel like if I had more weight on my shoulders (e.g taking harder classes) I would succeed more than I do now, just my own theory.
My counselor told me that taking Geometry would be very hard online compared to being in a classroom, and that I would not receive the education you would get in a regular classroom.
I’ve decided to take the SAT’s fall of junior year, and possibly take the SAT II’s sometime next year (maybe around May or June) if I feel VERY confident in a subject or two.
My friend told me that our school (public high school) is very competitive. Would that make a difference in how I do later on?
Yes, I agree with you that I am not on the right track. Do you know what can help me?
If you think your classes are too easy you could try to switch into honors sections, but for most of them it seems you are struggling to get As. You might look into whether you can take geometry and algebra2 (or whatever the next class is called) both next year, instead of online. I don’t know whether your school has enough classes for that but since you only listed 6 classes I thought it might.
At most schools, you would have to be one of the few top students in the entire grade to have a shot at the top schools. That is not my impression from what you’ve told us, but you can guess what your chances are. My point is just that most people don’t go to those colleges and they do fine.
I would like to point out, someone said people who get into top schools don’t struggle for As. I would like to clarify what (I think) s/he meant. It is fine to struggle to get As, you just need to get them. Also, the 64 in math and the (I don’t know) attitude should change. You “don’t know” why you have a D in math? It’s not like one grade could drop a grade this low (unless it’s the only assignment) so talk to your teacher and ask what you can do to improve. I think you should focus on class grades before taking the SAT I or II and work on organization. If you don’t have time to study for all your classes (trust me, you do, you just need to find the time) then you definitely won’t have time to study for the SATs.
I also agree with you GC, be wary of taking geometry not in a class room. Geometry is a very different kind of math, unlike algebra, so you may need the extra help and attention of a teacher full time. I took geometry freshmen year and I struggled to do well (Low As , high Bs) whereas I am much better at algebra, having a semester average (so far) of 98.
I’ve always have done well in school and I’m not sure what is going on this year. Brown has always been the college I want to attend, but I feel as if I’m not good enough to get in;
My class level are low, I am struggling to get A’s.
I came to the conclusion that I am NOT taking the SAT’s next year. If I decide to I will be taking one or two of the subject test if I feel confident enough in those subjects.
Also the 2nd quarter just started and I have one quiz grade in ; that’s why I have a 64 in Algebra.
Am I completely done for trying to get into Brown?
What level courses should I take in order to take the subject tests;
(i was thinking of doing Chemistry & possibly literature)
This is one reason why I sometimes dislike CC. Don’t get me wrong, I love the site, but some people try to shoot other people down and some are almost too “elitist” when it comes to stats. You are most absolutely not done for getting into Brown, it’s only freshmen year. Freshmen year is often a trial year; figuring out what works and what doesn’t, adapting to a new schedule and pressures, so most people see a drop in grades. In chemistry my grade dropped over 30 points to a 68 because of one lab in the beginning, but I was tried so hard and got my grade to an 88 for Q1. Not an A, but a lot better than what could have happened, and you can improve as well.
If I were you, I would try to take honors classes, consistently throughout high school. Take APs that interest you, not to look impressive. Last year my GPA was a 94, and I got my class rank. My class rank was pretty good, but not what I expected, so that is my motivation to improving my grades. Having a long term goal (acceptance to Brown) is great, but it’s also good to have a more immediate goal, i.e. Raise my grade from 64 to 90 by the end of the quarter or bring class rank from 20 to 10.
I am not trying to shoot anyone down. I am just trying to be honest and realistic with the OP. Tippy top colleges will expect students to be taking an all-honors schedule, or close to one, and getting all As, or close to that–unless they have a major hook like a recruited athlete, URM, or some remarkable accomplishment. That’s just how it is.
Look, my daughter got into a fair number of top schools, but she didn’t get into all of them. She took all honors classes, had straight A’s, some statewide awards, almost perfect scores across all standardized tests, National Merit Scholar, and I think 13 AP classes, plus a few post-AP college classes. That’s the kind of competition you will have.
There are a lot of kids posting here who think their lives are over if they don’t get into an Ivy league school. But that’s no reason to despair. There are plenty of good colleges out there for good students who are willing to work hard and they become successful and happy people.
The SAT2 tests are best taken at the end of the relevant course. If you will take AP chem, then take it near the end of that if possible. Otherwise, you could take it near the end of the regular chem class. I’d probably take English as a junior, when you can schedule it. Some schools like to see a math SAT2. Check requirements of colleges you like. Keep in mind there are limited testing dates and you need to make sure you have dates for the SATs as well as the SAT2s.
@mathyone sorry, I didn’t mean to say you were shooting OP down, you’re not, you are being constructive, but there are definitely some people who would blatantly be rude about it to OP (again, NOT you)
That being said, I agree with you in the sense that to get into top schools like Brown, you should take a rigorous course load consisting mainly of honor level classes. You will also need to do ECs that you are heavily involved in that colleges will want to see. And the Ivy League (and other top schools!), while all great schools, do not ultimately determine how successful or happy one will be later in life, so don’t base your happiness or self worth on admission to a Top tier school.
Getting to an Ivy Leauge would be amazing.
But it wouldn’t be the end of the world for me since there are other schools that are good if not better than an Ivy.
I know this is years away but…
If I do apply, should I risk everything and apply ED to one of them?
Also what is applying SCEA?
That’s if my scores, EC’s, and grades match them.
It is early, but if you are dead set on attending Brown, then you can apply ED to Brown and RD or EA to other colleges. SCEA is basically ED and is a binding option, where EA is not binding (I believe Yale offers both EA and SCEA).
Also, before getting attached to one college, what are you planning on majoring in? Make sure Brown has that major as an option.
I really wouldn’t worry about exact colleges and application strategies yet. (Though if you are traveling anyway you may want to take a look at some schools near your destination). The expectations are pretty much the same for most top schools–they look for the most rigorous courseload at your school, high grades and high standardized test scores. You can get information from each school site about such things, and it’s worth looking in a general sense, just to make sure you have the expected number of years of foreign language etc. in your high school plan. Top schools also want to see a record of accomplishment, commitment, leadership whatever you may consider it in pursuing your interests. There is no magic formula for that, they are just looking to put together a diverse class of people.
With regard to your schoolwork, you need to figure out how to improve your grades. Can you improve your study habits, meet with teachers to discuss how to improve? Make sure you go over every test and quiz and understand what you got wrong and how to do it correctly. If the teacher is bad, use other resources like the textbook or for math some people like Khan academy. It may also help to have a study buddy to work with. Your parents may or may not be able to help with something like algebra1. For things like social studies, you may need to re-read, or do outlines as is often required of AP students. A tutor could be helpful if your parents are willing to pay for it. Some schools offer free peer tutoring. Ultimately it is your responsibility to learn the material, and if the teacher is bad or the test is on the same day or whatever, you need to figure out how to deal with that.
Get a tutor for Math and World History. Aim for 90+ in both classes. That means don’t just read the material - close your book and imagine the questions your teacher could ask, then answer them. (If you can’t come up with questions, then read the material again, it means you don’t “get it”, ie., have a good grasp of the key points, concepts, and articulations.) Make flashcards.
If you feel you’re not challenged enough, see if you can switch into the Honors Sectionfor English and Biology at the end of 2nd quarter.
Go see each teacher and ask what your priority should be so that you improve in learning and mastering their subject.
If you’re not taking a foreign language, do so. You’ll be expected to have 4 years if you want a very selective college (even Top 50).
I’ve been thinking about getting a tutor, but I am kind of indecisive about getting one (for math that is). Last quarter I ended with an 87 in Algebra and I currently have one 1 grade in for second quarter, which is why I have a 64. I am planning to stay after school a lot more now to raise my grade. I am going tomorrow to go over my quiz and know what I did wrong and how I can prevent doing it a second time. As far as World History goes, I think I really need a tutor. Sadly I got stuck with the “toughest” world history teacher and he takes many things from his AP World class and incorporates it into our lesson which makes test/quizzes/assignments a lot harder than the other classes. I’m confused on how someone can tutor world history, could you explain?
In the beginning of the thread I think I said that I transferred up a level in algebra. My class before was a double period where it would take two periods of math. When I transferred out (which was towards the last couple weeks of the first quarter) my counselor suggested and put me into a study hall. I originally wanted to take French, because our French program at our school is apparently really good compared to Latin and Spanish. She told me it was too late to put me into a new class. After this quarter ends my study hall ends. For second semester my counselor put me into Personal Finance and Literacy. In order to graduate we have to take Personal Finance and Literacy either at school or online. The only perk is that I get it over with for all four years.
About transferring to honors Engish and Biology, I would feel really confident with doing that for English and maybe Biology. I have a really bad teacher for Biology and I basically self-taught everything so far this year that we have learned.
For English: I am really good at English and I have no trouble with anything we do in the class.
There are two open slots for English HON and one I know for sure I would be put into, I have many friends in the class and half of their class dropped down a level becuase her class was insane. haha.
Should I take French online (If I am allowed too),
along with Geometry if I am allowed to as well?
What grades should I get to make up my lousy first quarter?
Also, what happens to your GPA when you take an Honors course?
