I am not doing enough for my college applications. How can I fix this mess?

I only have a 3.4 GPA in high school (I take classes that are too difficult) and I have zero extracurricular activities. My SAT is OK but I can do better (I’ve taken it once and plan on taking it two other times). I’m afraid I cannot recover from the less than great GPA and sever lack of anything interesting about me. I know I’m not going anywhere special, so should I just go to community college and transfer? Can I make this better?

What year in school are You? What is your GPA? What are your interests?

Junior, 3.4 GPA, and I have zero interests that don’t make me look like an isolated loser. I literally only read and I’m trying to write a fantasy novel. I sometimes longboard. I have to help out a lot around my house with my two younger brothers.

@brookshone Don’t give up on yourself! Its only on this crazy website that people think you need a 4.0 to go to college. Many people with your grades end up at fine schools. Look at all the threads for students in the 3-3.5 range. Tell us more about yourself. What classes are you taking? What are you interested in? Why no extra curriculars? What would you do if you could?

By the way, I have always encouraged my kids to do the ECs that they love and not worry about what looks good on a college application. Their ECs were a break from the stress of school, not an extension of it. When D2 wanted to quit science club to found the D&D club, I was all for it. She has some science ECs because she loves it. Most of her ECs revolve around theater and trying different sports. She will end up at the college that wants her just the way she is.

@Brookshone , helping around the house and looking after younger siblings ARE extracurricular activities.
You are being very hard on yourself. You are not a loser. There are plenty of colleges that will accept you without tons of actvities. Your GPA isn’t terrible. You said you have a decent SAT. And slo, there is nothing wrong with community college. I went to CCC for three years before transferring into a four year college. Spent three years there too! Everyone needs to do what works for,them. Writing a novel is cool. Submit some excerpts to Teen Ink. Good luck!

I’m in AP Psychology (by far my favorite class) and APUSH. I’m taking regular English (was going to do AP but I can only handle two at a time), precalc, Spanish III (not by choice, I hate this class), PE, and for science it’s called Biotechnology (I also get college credit for this and I only took it because I loved the teacher and had her for chemistry)

I’m not interested in much. I’m a huge bookworm but I only really read fiction and I am trying to write my own fantasy novel. I have to help out around the house a lot. My little brother’s autistic and he’s especially difficult so handling him is a 3 person job. My mom has depression so it’s particularly hard on the family.

If I could go back in time I would try out a whole bunch of different sports until I found one I truly enjoyed…

@Brookshone , did you see my post, #4? I urge you to meet with your guidance counselor at school, who will be able to add that information to his/her recommendation about you. Having two disabled family members and looking after them is a big burden for you. No wonder it’s affected your grades. You shoudl definitely list your household chores and childcare as activities. In additional info, you should state that your parent is chronically ill and your sibling is autistic. Your counselor’s rec can verify this information.

Putting this info on your app is very important. It doesn’t mean you will necessarily get into a super competitive school, but it does provide a valid reason for your grades not being as high as they might be. Come back to CC often and post questions as you being the application process. And try to write your essay on some aspect of your personality that is positive. Make your essay about you and what makes you, you. Colleges want a reason to say yes. All the other stuff, they will see in your app.

I typed all of that out before I read your post. Lol, sorry. That’s good advice, I’ll try it tomorrow.

I forgot to say, oddly enough and considering how cheesy this sounds, the reason I love psychology is because of my family. Mental illness and disabilities are sort of a plague on my family so I would honestly love to help people who have these sorts of problems. Only problem is that this (to me at least) sounds too cheesy, almost too perfect.

@brookshone- you have huge interests in reading, and writing, psychology, and you’re taking care of family members, too. Wow. You sound like a fantastic person, and someone who possesses a lot of compassion. What college wouldn’t want a student like you? Please take good care of your self, continue focusing on the things you love, keep your grades up (they are really good, BTW), and don’t pay attention to all the posts from kids with sky-high stats, thinking this is how it is for everyone. It’s simply not the case.

Don’t dismiss your love of reading and writing. The world needs young talented writers, and all strong writers begin with their love of books and reading.

Your performance is quite acceptable to many solid schools. Out here in California, I’d encourage you to apply to CSU-Chico or CSU-Humbolt. Chico has a strong Pysch department and a wonderful atmosphere for learning–the perfect little college town with tons of fun things to do. And while 3.4 is a solid GPA, believe me, you don’t want to luck-out and draw into a reach school where you’ll be surrounded by valedictorians.

Sports are overrated and don’t help the college process much unless you are a recruited athlete (which very few end up being).

Be careful with your course choices for next year. Don’t take more Spanish if you hate it. Get the best grades you can this year and next year and prep for the SAT or ACT over the summer and take it in the summer.

There are many colleges out there for you!

What state are you in? What sort of budget do you have for university?

As others have said, it is only on CC that your grades would be anything other than very good. If you were in Maine or New Hampshire, I am pretty sure that you would be solidly on track to attend the in-state flagship. If you were in Massachusetts, the in-state flagship might be a slightly high match, but the in-state public #2 (UMass Lowell) would probably be a safety, and a very good safety at that. If someone is going to argue that UMass Boston is the in-state #2, it would be a good choice also with your stats if you were in-state. I have worked with graduates from at least two of these schools who have been very good coworkers with solid careers.

Plenty of students with a 3.4 GPA and no ECs at all go to very good universities.

“helping around the house and looking after younger siblings ARE extracurricular activities”
“There are many colleges out there for you!”

Exactly right for both statements.

@Brookshone, as others have said, keep your grades up as much as you can for this year, and for next year take APs only to the extent that you want to and only in subjects that you particularly like. You are going to have plenty of choices for universities that you can attend.

There are 3000 colleges in the USA…there is one that fits you.

I am an alumni interviewer. I interviewed a student in a similar situation as you…he had to watch his brother because his parents were divorced. But he realized that his brother was falling through the cracks a bit. He encouraged parents to sign up brother for sports team and took him to practice. He helped him with his homework. That shows leadership.
That student was admitted. That is an EC like others…it is something you do outside of school and you have to be able to do that an academics.

@brookshone

  • what are your interests? what do you want to pursue?
  • find extracurriculars online that pertain to those interests
  • set up a club at school for next year. bam done you've already got leadership
  • talk to your guidance counselor
  • in your essay, talk about your life. seriously. you seem like a wonderful person based on this thread, so talk about you. let colleges get to know you. numbers aren't everything.

@Brookshone: You have real life material for an amazing college application essay. Taking care of an autistic child & dealing with a parent suffering from depression requires compassion, maturity and psychological strength. Do not sell yourself short as you are a catch for almost any college or university.

P.S. Avoid negatives in your future communications. Stop putting yourself down & stop minimizing the importance of your activities. You are a blessing to your brother & to your mother & to your whole family.

@Brookshone try to find some activities to get involved in… Does your school have any clubs that you’d be interested in joining? If not, start your own! That’s something that will make your application stand out. Just make sure that you’re actually passionate about whatever club you choose to pursue. You can also participate in some activities outside of school. Volunteer work truly matters. But again, make sure that you actually support the cause that you volunteer for.

Personally, I am a BIG proponent of community colleges (CCs). I spent 2 years at a CC myself, and I loved every second of it. Not only you can save money, but also (if you go to a good CC), you can actually receive some amazing professional experience. During my last two years, I got to participate in the statewide conferences, organize major on-campus events, and even give several TV interviews. There are PLENTY of amazing opportunities for CC students - you just gotta find them! Through Phi Theta Kappa, you also get some great scholarships after CC. Besides, if you want to go to a state university afterwards, most CCs have Articulation Agreements with their state universities, so you are guaranteed admission.

The only thing I can truly see myself volunteering for would be an animal shelter or something along those lines. Where I live, you either have to get a parent or guardian to sign up with you (neither of my parents are willing to do that) or be 18. I’m a total animal lover though and even am a vegetarian.

  • I have absolutely no idea what I would want to pursue.
  • I've decided to take a summer art class (not relevant to my interests but looked fun).
  • I don't think I'll ever be able to get the leadership point. The last time I led a group project, I freaked out and decided to do all of the work myself. I am incredibly shy/reserved and do not trust others.
  • Ok
  • Ok, though the school system loves pushing numbers and explicitly says numbers are in fact everything.

@Brookshone The title of your thread caught my eye, but it was your post that prompted me to write something.
Can I give you a hug? >:D<
You are are doing enough and you are not in a “mess”!! You have a lot to offer a college! Look at all you you have done: you’re a caretaker for your family, love to read, and are an aspiring writer. As one poster said above, don’t take on activities because they would look good on a a college application.
Because of your interest in psychology, have you looked into peer counseling programs at your school or community? This would allow you explore your interest in psychology. If you like it, you could use it a springboard for some leadership opportunities down the road.
When I first started lurking on CC, it seemed that every other student spent hundreds of hours volunteering, kept up a +4.0 GPA, took dual credit courses at college, and started nonprofit businesses. Please don’t compare yourself! Take some time to to explore what interests you, whether the summer art class or creating a writing schedule for your book, and maybe find other ways (than a shelter) where you can care for animals. Don’t lose sight that high school (and college too) is a learning experience. But if you’re not sure yet what you want to do, then as @Kate0615 mentioned, think about taking your general education courses at a community college with an articulation agreement that would allow you to transfer to a four year university. Good luck!