I’m a freshman at a competitive/gifted high school program. The classes here are substantially more difficult than those at a regular school; furthermore, it’s been much more difficult for me to earn good grades here than it would usually be. I finished Algebra II (honors; usually a sophomore/junior? class) with a C and I’m worried about it ruining or negatively affecting my GPA/chances of getting into a good university in the long run. Here is a full list of my grades this year:
Alegbra II (Honors): C (This class was very fast-paced and difficult for me, considering that math has never been my strong suit and I have always struggled with it.)
A.P. US Government and Politics: A+
Biology I (Honors): A+
English II (Honors): A
Freshman Seminar (sort of an associated introduction to the program): A+
Extracurricular Activities: marching band, community service (we receive around 2-3 hours of homework a night, doesn’t allow a whole lot of time for activities at the moment).
Most of the other students at my program have stellar grades and have an A or a B in math. I am concerned about falling behind them or not being accepted into my dream school (Duke). Any sort of advice or reassurance concerning my GPA in the long run is greatly appreciated :-).
Is ur algebra II a semester course? It is a year-long course for us, if it is year-long, u should have more time to catch up. Also, don’t be afraid of math, use the tutorial to ask teacher’s help or go to Khan academy, u will definitely see improvement.
Didn’t really have to add the “Gifted” portion, seems like you’re a tad bit full of yourself and very, very exaggerative. Nonetheless, those are good grades, don’t worry too much.
A C freshman year will be fine, admissions counselors understand, you should look up the math BFF tutorials on youtube, they got me through algebra two.
RedisLovely, I’m sorry if I came across as prideful to you. I included that just to specify that my school is a gifted program, so that does affect the difficulty of the classes there and is a factor in my grades. I was not exaggerating about the difficulty of the classes here, either. Compared to middle school and the classes that my friends are taking at their regular high schools, the classes here are much more difficult. Again, coming across as snobbish was not my intention and I’m sorry if I gave the wrong impression. Thank you for your advice
Algebra II can be a tough course for some; it’s vital that you understand the material as you go since it keeps building.
Have you been going to extra help?
And if math has never been your strong suit, why on earth are you, as a freshman, in an honors course that you say is typically offered to Juniors? It seems as though you set yourself up for a hard time there.
bjkmom, I ended with an A- in Algebra I I’ve been going to tutoring after school and watching videos in order to receive extra help, and that’s been helping some.
I didn’t really want to take Algebra II, nor was I really ready for it, but it is a required class for all freshmen at my school. I included the sophomore/junior bit to specify that kids at the local high school usually take it then, and I would have taken it then if I had chosen to go there.
OK, so you know you’ll have to put in lots of extra work to get the grades you want.
I’m not a huge fan of Khan Academy, though lots of people like it. I prefer that my kids take a look at the videos on sites like teachertube, youtube or explaineverything.
“I’m worried about it ruining or negatively affecting my GPA/chances of getting into a good university in the long run.”
I think ruin the chance to get into a good university is a less thing to worry than your mental health and self-confidence.
A competitive/gifted high school program is not for everyone because some kids pick up things fast and some do not. It is going to get harder after freshman year, and if you need tutoring now for the class material, then you should not be in this type of program because you will have less time for ECs for the next three years and requiring more tutoring.
I am speaking as a person went through this type of program few decades ago and failed badly, so I knew what is going on for you. I was just not ready for that kind of competitive environment at that time but did well academically much more later in life.
My D was accepted into the gifted programs a few times in her basic education, but I knew what was going on in these programs and I did not think she is a naturally gifted child nor a person ready for that kind of competitive environment. We chose to let her stay at the less competitive regular schools, and she was less stressful, happier, and more at top of her class, comparing to her friends she knew went to the gifted schools. She ends up accepted to a very good university last year.
I don’t think saying you had homework is an excuse for only doing two ECs with no leadership. I’m a sophomore taking 2 APs (only two offered - Euro and Psych) and multiple honors courses and still have two officer position, founded a club, I am in community service and a student body leader. This is not to brag, it’s just to give you a bit of perspective. My freshman sister is very similar to you, high grades but no involvement what-so-ever.
Anyways, I don’t think it is automatically going to cut you out of running for top schools. Just keep your grades up from now on in the class and show an upward trend.
When schools look at your transcript, they will not consider that you were a freshman taking a class usually taken by older students - they will see a class with a grade. It’s not the end of the world, but don’t take classes you aren’t ready for just to be taking the highest course or because all the other kids are.
If there is an easier math track to switch to, you should switch. You are about two years accelerated to take algebra 2 in 9th, and you’ll want four years of math for college admissions. It’s not going to get easier to make A’s on your current math track if you aren’t solid in the first high school class you take.
thank you very much!