I don’t feel I have a shot at getting into a top school. I’m only a freshman and my grades aren’t the best. I have only a B+ average, which is lower than a lot of my peers, as I am in a selective high school. It’s only going to get harder and I’m scared I won’t be able to keep up regardless of how much I work my ass off. I don’t even take any APs but I still feel like I’m dying. At this point, I’m really nervous I won’t be able to get into a good school because there are more high-achieving students than I am all around me. Here is my transcript for those interested.
How screwed am I?
Honors Biology: A
“Extended” Honors Math: B (I don’t think colleges see extended)
Honors English: A-/B+
Chinese II: B-
Honors Global Studies: A-
Honors Music: A-
If it helps put it in perspective, I and many other parents on here, went to our state flagships, and have done quite well in our careers. The ability to push through adversity is a great skill and will serve you well.
For summer reading, I highly recommend “Resilience” by Eric Greitens, Navy Seal and now current governor of MO.
You are not screwed at all! Colleges like to see an upward trend in grades throughout high school, so if you improve in sophomore and junior year, you should be fine. Perhaps work on study skills and time management. Oftentimes, it’s not about how much time you put into it, but how focused and skillfully you’ve used the time you have. Don’t forget that extracurriculars also play a big role in college admissions, and if you are phenomenal in one or more aspects in an EC, colleges can, and will, ignore a couple Bs earned in freshmen year. I highly suggest reading “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport, which explains the relaxed approach of going through high school, and still ending up in a top school. (You can read it for free by searching “how to be a high school superstar pdf” and clicking on the first result).
Not doing very well freshmen year is okay, I can tell you are a motivated student, so as long as you strive to be your best, you should do well in the future.
And one more book worth a read: “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be” by Frank Bruni. Which is very true. But it’s one of those things you see many years later (as in, I work with people all manner of colleges). At your age it can seem pretty daunting. Just know that Bruni is right. People do well from many different schools.
And the fact that you care so much is a big time signal that you’re going to find your path and do well. Those grades are fine.
You can go to a state flagship and then eventually go to a top school for your masters or something along those lines.
There is no shame in not getting into a top school. Besides, you are a freshman, there is plenty of time.
You are not screwed! A top school is not the most important thing in life. Both my son and I could have gone to top 20 schools but didn’t have any desire to. We chose to be big fish in “smaller” ponds. I went to SMU and he is going to Kansas State with great merit and honors college and early admit to vet school. I think that state school will be wonderful for him and will get him exactly where he desires in the future. You can be great coming from any good college. State colleges are fine. Don’t sweat it. Keep doing what you are and you will get into a college that will make you happy, not stress you out, not burn you out and let you do what you want in the future.
Assume that you never improve. You are still in the top 15-20% of people in the best country there is. Assume you work hard and improve. Well - then you are in the top 10+% of the best country there is. What do you expect of yourself? The likelihood that anyone you know goes to a top school is remote. If many around you are doing better then either there is rampant grade inflation or you have high achieving friends. Having high achieving friends is what success looks like. You need some perspective and a realistic assessment of yourself and your place in the world. Assuming doing well is not good enough, do you expect to peak as a 9th grader? Probably not. So keep working hard and don’t doubt your determination.
There are over 3000 universities and colleges in the US (and many more outside the US). Your current grades are sufficient to get into the vast majority of them, including many very good universities.
Make an effort to stay ahead in your courses. Pay attention in class. Do you homework early (don’t wait until just before it is due). Don’t bother with AP classes at least for now. You will do well.
You’re not screwed. Just show an upward trend in your four years. Colleges understand some people have a tough transition from middle school to high school.
One comment about perceiving yourself working harder than those around you to get the same (or slightly worse) results: that is how life is. But look a the group that you believe is doing better while working less. Some of them are just gifted and with time will work as hard as you do and accomplish a lot. Others will not learn good work habits and as education gets harder and more competitive they will flounder and not achieve potential. They will complain about you someday! Learn to make the most of what you have.
Do you play a sport? Sports through high school usually teaches those lessens when you compete against kids with different maturation rates, physical abilities, and mental attitudes.
As someone who freaks out about their GPA, don’t sweat it. I got a B- in geometry as a freshman, resulting in a shaky A- average, and I’m in the top 20 out of 400 as a sophomore. My sister got a C in honors physics junior year, and still got into selective schools.
Just try and do better next year! You’re grades are pretty good honestly, and you’re taking hard classes. Btw, freshman grades aren’t as important as the later years, and by upping your GPA, you’ll create an upward trend, which is really good in college admissions.
And going to a top school, esp for undergrad, really isn’t everything. A top school 1) isn’t even necessarily the right environment for many very intelligent and innovative people and 2) isn’t the sole determination of success in life. Your career will be made on what you contribute, not on where you went to college. You’re doing fine, don’t sweat it! 
The top 18 schools reject over 300,000 applicants every year and enroll only about 18,000 freshmen. Nobody’s odds are very good. If trends continue, by the time you apply they’ll be rejecting even more.
When you are rejected, you’ll never know if it was that B- in 9th grade or a typo on your essay or if 200 other kids cured cancer the same year you did and the readers found it cliché.
The best thing to do is work hard and do what you love for EC’s. By the end of 11th grade, build a college list that includes reach, target and safety schools. There is a college for everyone, but you need to build a good list and not throw all your applications into the toughest pools. That is a recipe for stress and misery.