<p>I messed up my entire life just by taking algebra1 when I was in 7th grade. I used to be an extremely good student before then, getting all A's..but 7th grade slowed me down. I started to get C's on those tests in alg1 and all my friends did better than me, which made me feel inferior. i also was not involved in any sports so i felt useless and insecure. because of that, i started to do poorly in my other classes as well and my work ethic downed down by a lot. i always told myself "oh, i'll do better next year, this year isnt as important". well, come freshman year when everything started to count, i literally failed algebra2 and got B averages in my other classes, avereraging with an 84% gpa (around 3.0). sophomore year comes around and i have THE MOST drama that year. i couldn't focus on my studies do to friendship, family, boy etc problems. i literally just gave up and didn't care how i did in school and i failed precalc/trig..my cumulative gpa by the end of the year was an 83% (3.0 as well, i think). also in those years i took all academic classes besides two honors freshman year and one sophomore year. now, this doesn't seem TOO bad but wait until you here the school i want to get into. the university of pennsylvania. their lowest gpa is around a 3.75. this year, i'm a junior. and i got all A's in my classes and a B in math. i'm in 3 honors this year. the first semester just ended, and i have a cumulative gpa of 85%..for the next two marking periods (next semester) i plan to kick *** and try to get it up as high as i can. but that won't do anything, will it? plus admissions are jan1, which means even my first marking period grades for senior year won't count toward my gpa. i am involved in many clubs, volunteer, part of my youth group, have leadership positions etc and i just took my SATs for the first time but have not gotten my score back. i plan to take the ACTs and SAT subject tests soon. my senior courses include 3 AP's and two honors.
if i could go back to freshman year, i would start all over if i knew i wanted to get into an ivy league. now it just seems impossible. i know i COULD have done it..i just gave up. idk what to do..please help.</p>
<p>Transfer after your freshman year in college. Just do a lot better this time around.</p>
<p>I’ve had 80 views on this and 1 response…seriously if you’re not gonna reply to this dont even bother clicking on it in the first place</p>
<p>yea, to be real, you’re not getting in. Best bet is to go to a decent college, get a perfect GPA, and then transfer to penn. I know it sounds bad, but it’s the best shot you have.</p>
<p>and most people aren’t replying because they’re all thinking the same thing…you don’t have much of a chance at all. Unless you pull off a 2400, change your dream.</p>
<p>yeah i actually agree haha. i know im definitely applying to temple and drexel, penn was just…an extreme reach school. you go there right?</p>
<p>and you are sounding a little rude and whiny. who would want to respond to that? but I agree. I had some issues during my high school life too. very big issues. but it never slowed me down. I worked my ass off to get my grades and get into Penn. I didn’t give a sob story and excuses. if you truly ARE going to try, then be my guest and best of luck. but Penn is going to look at how well you handled the courseload, NO MATTER what else was happening at the time. if you failed at that, then they mark that down. just saying.</p>
<p>can i read your essay by any chance?</p>
<p>I’ll send you mind if you wanna see it 
I’ll PM it to you</p>
<p>no i’m a senior who got in early.
and my essay’s a bit personal, but keep in mind to be as detailed as possible.</p>
<p>hmm. i would state that in life, you got to find opportunities. yes you did make major mistakes, but i believe that if you work hard in undergrad studies, try to get good marks and everything (then get into an ivy league for graduate studies). and also, remember that GPA/SAT’s are not everything in acceptances. if you show yourself well (show a passion in a subject/commitment to a specific study) colleges love that.</p>
<p>Just curious…why are you set on Penn? Yes, it’s a great school. But why do you believe it is the school of your dreams? You don’t need to reply…just think about it on your own. Work hard, study hard, learn how to manage the drama in life because it always sneaks in when you’re least expecting it. Part of growing up is learning how to balance the good and the bad I truly believe that good students make the best of whatever school they go to. Drexel & Temple are both excellent options too. Try not to stress over it…just do your best and decide that you will make the best of whatever opportunity you get. Good luck!</p>
<p>thank you! you’re right. and i’m aiming now for something attainable, so hopefully if i at least get there i can transfer</p>
<p>i’m replying anyway. thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>Are you sure Penn is where you want to be? The workload will not an easy obstacle in your life. Why not look into neighboring schools and, like, go to parties at Penn or something.</p>
<p>Give it a shot! if worse comes to worse, you can go to a different school and then transfer for grad school!</p>
<p>Not to crush your dreams, but to UPenn you’d be a very below average applicant. I play soccer, and though I wish I could play for an MLS team, it’s probably not going to happen considering I rarely play Varsity even as a senior. My goals are much more obtainable to my situation instead, and I’d suggest perhaps setting some more on target goals as your best bet.</p>
<p>People have been worse off than you and still managed to do well academically. So you’re not getting into Penn. That being said, don’t change your dreams - just look for that back door into achieving them. Grad school is prob your best bet, or try your luck at transferring. Also, a “last ditch” effort could be taking a gap year and doing something out of this world to make yourself stand out - but even then Penn would be a reach…</p>
<p>lol i know my best bet is probably temple, drexel, etc because i’ve realized how idealistic i was being. have you applied to Penn?</p>