i know it’s summer and stuff but recently i’ve been so stressed out about college and stuff i’m going to be a sophomore next year and i know many of u will say it’s too early to worry about that stuff. but i’m honestly rly worried bc i didn’t do so well freshman year (3.7)(had one C) and i’m aiming for the UC’s (i know they don’t use freshman grades but they do look at them right? i just don’t want them to get the wrong impression ) but i’m also aiming for schools like usc. i know i shouldn’t be this worried but for some reason it’s been bothering me a lot lately. whoever read it this far. thank you so much for reading 
Hey, no need to stress! It sounds like you’re on track for your goals.
Keep working hard and focus on doing the things that you love, whether that’s a sport, a science, or something else entirely. Good grades and test scores will take you to college, but great ECs on top of those will get you in. ECs tend to come naturally when you involve yourself in what you’re interested in.
Good luck, take care of yourself, and don’t spend too much time on this website.
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Yes, it’s too early to be stressing. Do you really want to spend three more years like this? The best way to reduce stress is to do your best in school. Good grades and test scores are the two most important factors. But this doesn’t mean take six APs every year. It doesn’t mean get straight A’s. It means literally do YOUR best, not the Valedictorian’s best. Then find a range of colleges to apply to that fit your stats and your budget. Find colleges you like, especially match and safety schools. Don’t apply to ten reaches and one safety that you don’t care or know anything about. That’s a great way to ensure you end up at a college you don’t like. If you apply to schools you have researched and know something about that fit your stats, you won’t be as disappointed when decisions come out. Every college has redeeming qualities. Find them.
UC’s look at all grades 9-12th to make sure you pass your a-g course requirements with a C or higher. One C Freshman year will not have a huge impact on your chances. Do well 10-11th and you will many options. Right now enjoy HS and stay off CC until end of Junior year.
Ninth grade GPAs matter but not as much. They look at the overall GPAs for the first cut. Then, for the second cut, they only look at 10th and 11th GPAs. A “C” in freshman year doesn’t matter much as long at the other grades offset it. My daughter got on “C” in freshman year but a 4.0 UW GPA in 10/11 so the “C” had little impact on their decisions.