<p>Hello Peoples Of The Forums,
This sophmore year has been really, really tough for me. I currently have A's in every class but last year i got a B+ in Geometry Honors and i am probably going to get a B+in Trig II and Algebra H, i feel so screwed for the top colleges! I take all honors/ ap classes as a sophmore and i am also a science research student, i do two sports every year and participate in several honor societies and the phoenix writing club. I consider myself a very strong writer but i haven't really been able to show it on my resume (and i know this grammar is doing me no justice!) I just feel like i am so screwed for any chance of getting into a top college, and i keep promising myself that i am going to get a 100 on my next math test. No it's not that i don't study or don't know the material, i make like 5 1 point mistakes on each test, meanwhile i study really hard for days in advance! There is so much pressure on me because my brothers attend Cornell (science research scholarship) and the other attends Dartmouth! WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF GETTING INTO A TOP COLLEGE AT THIS POINT!?! CAN I STILL FIX MY TRANSCRIPT I AM TRYING SO HARD BUT DOING SOO BAD ON THESE TEST.
P.S: Damn i sound like a buffoon, i actually consider myself as one of the top students in my class. It is really disappointing that i am not performing well on these tests even though i know the material very well. </p>
<p>You seem to have several different issues to address…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The B’s
B+ grades are not awful. You may not want them, but they’re not the end of the world. A 3.9 or 3.8 is not that much of a difference from a 4.0.</p></li>
<li><p>Comparing yourself to your siblings
You are not your siblings. You are not living your siblings’ lives. Live your own and worry about yourself, not comparing yourself to them. There are thousands of colleges in the United States. Worrying about “pressure” because your brothers attend two prestigious colleges is pointless.</p></li>
<li><p>Stressing too much
This much worry is certainly not doing you any favors. Pledging to get 100% on your next test puts on so much pressure that you’ll just be disappointed. B+ is not “soo bad.” Calm the heck down.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Is a 3.8-3.9 good enough to get me into a top college? I know most colleges just average core classes, a B+ really brings this down doesn’t it?</p>
<p>From Harvard’s '11-12 Common Data Set, as an example of a “top college”:
Percent who had GPA of 3.75 and higher 91.49%
Percent who had GPA between 3.50 and 3.74 4.71%
Percent who had GPA between 3.25 and 3.49 3.08%
Percent who had GPA between 3.00 and 3.24 0.72%</p>
<p>Not everybody has a 4.0. It’s fine. Seriously. </p>
<p>Well thank you for making me feel a little bit better. I’ll just try to pull up my grade by the end of the year and try to do it better next year. Hopefully i will qualify for a national science competition next year, do you hae any advice on what i should do in the way of extra curriculars?</p>
<p>+More ways of showing i’m a “talent” in the way of writing</p>
<p>Someone please answer, i’m on edge and impatient.</p>
<p>Have you tried submitting to local writing publications / competitions? When the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards open up again next September or October, submit to those (chance of going to NYC if you win at national level!). Otherwise, just get involved with any and all writing extracurriculars at your school. Do you have a newspaper? Yearbook? Literary magazine?</p>
<p>Other extracurriculars: Keep up the ones you have and try to show passion/dedication (like being an officer or other position of leadership) :)</p>
<p>I currently participate in the literary magazine but it is the ONLY club i am in (not including honor societies), do you think i need to participate in more clubs?</p>
<p>lol, keep in mind that gpa also is very subjective. Some high schools give out 4.0s like candy, while pretty much no one gets even close to 4.0 at the best hs’s in the country.
For example, 3.5 @ TJHS or some other school like that is really great. GPA also depends on classes taken etc…</p>
<p>You have 2 years…</p>
<p>Um… My GPA look bad too due to some external reasons and doesn’t match mine standardized test scores…can some one please chance me too? I really want to know</p>