Hello guys, I’ve recently noticed my junior year grades slipping and I’m really stressed. I know colleges like to see an upward trend, but mine are doing the opposite. My freshman year grades were ok (I got my first B, but transcripts only show year averages, and my lowest average was a 96), sophomore year grades were great (lowest was a 98, some 99’s, rest were all 100’s) but this year… i’m really struggling in some classes, particularly AP Physics and Intro to Computer Science. I currently have a 92 year average in AP Physics (had a 93 this morning, but got an 86 on a test) and a 93 year average for Computer Science. All my other grades are above a 98, just these two classes.
I’m just wondering, will colleges look too deep into it? It’s currently the middle of the 3rd marking period, and I have some time to bring these two classes up but I’m just really struggling in Physics. Not my cup of tea.
I’m just really stressed and my self-esteem is kinda crushed right now. I’ve never struggled before in academics and to struggle now, in the middle of junior year, the most important year- I’m so stressed.
If you still have an A/A- in these classes, what even is there for colleges to “look into”?
If you have a balanced list of safety, match and reach schools that you like and can afford, there is no reason to be stressed. If the stress is because you are worried you won’t get into a college with a very low acceptance rate, then understand that you need to apply to colleges based on your actual UW GPA and test scores. Don’t get caught up in an idealized vision of needing to get into a super selective college.
Meanwhile, go to extra help after school. Get a private tutor if your parents can afford it. And accept that if you do your best, that’s all you can do. There’s a college out there that is going to be delighted to accept you, whether you have a 72 or a 92 in physics.
You’re doing great! Having a B or two (or three, or four) on your transcript will not affect anything. You have a normal fluctuation of grades, and no specific trend in any way. At this rate, you will still have a GPA of over 3.9, and be in an excellent position for anywhere.
AP Physics 1 is notoriously difficult, so you are hardly the only smart kid who has difficulty with it.
There is nothing at all for you to stress about. Again, you are doing great.
“I currently have a 92 year average in AP Physics (had a 93 this morning, but got an 86 on a test)”
The OP got 1 B on a test but the average is still 92. Assuming they keep the 92 average til the end of the year, would they have at 4.0 GPA overall at least?
Asking because my kids’ s school gives the same grading scale. For the self reporting UC GPA, a 92 is equivalent to and A, correct?
I wish our school gives A, B, C scale. if you got an A, you are good, no need to stress out with 92 vs. 95 vs. 100.
OP, you should be fine it seems. But I just want to tell you - you are not alone with the “worried for nothing” problem. My kiddo was so concerned every time she got a low 90’s instead of high 90’s or 100. I had to tell her It’s OKAY!
@Nhatrang If the OP maintains a grade of above 90 on Physics, that’s an A. The OP said that they had a B in their freshman year, which may not appear on their transcript, but if a college is calculating grades to match other high schools, that B may be there. All that means is that the OP will be applying to colleges with a 3.97 or even 3.98 GPA. Even if the OP gets a B on Physics, that means a GPA of 3.95 at worst.
The OP’s GPA is still competitive for any college in the USA. No college will reject an applicant because their UW GPA is 3.95 instead of 4.0.
The difference between a 92 and a 95 depends on whether a college translates a 100 point GPA using whole letter grades (A, B, etc) or partial grades (A, A-, B+, B, etc.). If it is letter grades, anything above a 90 is 4.0. However, if they are doing partial letter grades, 90-92 can be a 3.7. That sucks for a kid who has nothing below a 90. However, for a kid who has a couple of Bs, that means that a 88 isn’t 3 points, but 3.3 points. What it means in real life is that students who have two or three grades of 90-92 will not have a perfect 4.0 GPA, but instead have something like a 3.97 or a 3.98. On the other hand, students who have Bs that are in the 88-89 range will get a bump in their GPA.
Not much of a difference in the end, though.
OP - Don’t stress. You are doing just fine in challenging courses!
@Nhatrang @MWolf Doesn’t the GPA implication depend on this particular HS’s grading scale? At my D’s HS a 92 was a B+ and weighted as a 3.3.
That said, OP - even if that is the case for your school, the grading scale would go with the transcript so there would be context for colleges.
And this is what’s wrong with her whole system! And we’ve created such anxiety.
OP, you are an excellent student. Take pride in that. Do well in school primarily because you’re interested in various topics, love learning, and challenging yourself, not because you’re afraid you won’t get in to certain schools.
Believe me, where you attend college won’t define your life. Only you can do that.
We’re raising a whole generation of kids that are so freaked out by getting a B. Success in life isn’t measured by how perfect you are, but rather how you react to your mistakes. How you adjust and adapt. What you learn along the way (about the subject and yourself).
You’re doing great. Keep plugging away and working. Go to the teachers whenever they offer help (before or after school, lunch, etc.) It’s already almost March, so you are almost there.
AP Phsyics is a difficult course, but you are doing fine. And in the end, as others have mentioned, one or two B’s will not prevent you from having the opportunity to attend a great college.
Hang in there! Colleges like to see that students have challenged themselves. Junior year is the worst but you are doing great! As said previously apply to a range of schools and you will have many choices next year.
Please talk to someone if excellent grades like this (especially in a challenging class) cause so much stress for you. I don’t know what the environment is like at school or what pressures you are under, but I hope there is support. I hope that getting into a college is not the top concern in your life in junior year. I understand, but I hope you can enjoy high school too.
You are doing very well.
However, very strong students (which you are) get exposed to more difficult classes as you progress through your education. This means that you need to develop new study skills, and you also need to understand that you are going to get a B or two somewhere along the way. This is entirely okay.
You are going to need to learn to make sure that you understand the concepts, and you understand how to apply the concepts to problems, and you remember at least most of the more important formulae. In the past you just sort of did all of these things at once without thinking about it.
Relax. Have a pizza. Understand that you will need to learn how to work hard in difficult math and science classes. This is a normal part of growing as a student and every strong student has to go through it at some point.
I agree with everyone here who says you’re doing great!
Classes do get harder, and I can share that our Jr just got an 80 on a phys test and 85 on a math test. And, he’s a math/science kid! (in phys C, multivariable calc). Depending on how your teachers grade, one mistake in the middle of a problem makes the rest of the problem wrong and can result in 20pts off. I wasn’t a math/science major, but I’m imagining this reflects college grading.
For any classes where you get below what you’re shooting for, go into the teacher and get extra help. For physics, look at Kahn academy videos too (though that didn’t help our S on this past test, but class average was 70) and look at how you’re doing vs class average to put your grades into perspective.
Our S was upset too. But, these are life lessons so use them to build the skills to succeed in college and beyond.
Also if you aren’t going to major in math or science, you do not have to continue with the hardest classes in those areas. I can assure you that kids get into top schools without them. In fact, the time spent on those classes may be better spent on something that genuinely interests you.
What is this world coming to when a 92% or 93% is considered struggling and has a student feeling demoralized and stressed and where the goal is to score 100% in every class? To me a grading system where a low 90’s grade is considered a B and where the mark of excellence is 98%+ is just bizarre. Since a B student would be considered average, the implication is that average students should be capable of scoring 90% or better. That doesn’t leave much room to distinguish between an average B student and an exceptional A student. Are you telling me that there is a significant difference between a student who scores 9 out of 10 vs 10 out of 10 on a test? That the student with a 100% average is materially smarter and a better student than the one with 90%? In any case OP I think you need to step back and get some perspective by looking at the big picture. High school can be a very small bubble that distorts your view of the world. The majority of students aren’t scoring anywhere near 92-93% in their classes and many don’t graduate high school at all. Your life and your post-secondary education choices are not going to be ruined because you scored in the low 90’s in two classes. If you measure your self worth based on the unrealistic expectation of being perfect you’re setting yourself up for a life full of disappointment and dissatisfaction. Being perfect is not a reasonable expectation and striving to be so is going to limit your life because you won’t be willing to take risks outside of your comfort zone if you’re constantly worried about not being good enough.
Keep in mind that you are taking harder classes, so this is not unexpected.
Also keep in mind that your study strategy that worked for freshman year may not work for junior/senior/college so you may have to step it up.
Here are ideas:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/2026961-what-to-do-when-you-arent-doing-well-in-a-hs-class-p1.html
Relax. Your mental health will suffer from anxiety if you obsess about grades. As above, the classes can get more difficult but they also prepare you to do well in college. You are transitioning from the easy phase of HS to one where best study habits are needed to succeed. You should look at your study habits and form new ones to manage having more difficult material. This will serve you well in learning the material and learning how to study in college. In the past I’ll bet you alreaady had known more of the material to be learned. Now you need to learn more new material/skills and can’t get by with previous knowledge/skills.
So spend more time understanding the material. You are just as smart as you used to be but (finally) encountering material you need to learn instead of already having a handle on the majority. We often don’t realize how much we build on past experiences. Now the experiences are being added to more than in the past.
btw- repetition is how we retain material- I did that above I realize.
You are doing great and should focus on relaxing when you can. Getting stressed this way isn’t healthy. You are taking a challenging course and still doing well in it! Most colleges look at you as a whole person, not just narrowly at grades (and your grades are great!) Focus on figuring out what you like and which colleges you think will be a good match for you both academically and socially as well as financially. It is good you are having this experience now. Kids who don’t ever struggle at all and then go to college may not be as prepared. Use this as a way to know yourself more and what you want.