junior in high school with a 3.4 WEIGHTED gpa . slowly losing hope, pls help

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Sorry this is going to be long, i’d really appreciate your opinion though

Hi, so i was hoping to get advice from people here because i heard you guys are experienced in this region. I’m from India, i moved to the US in 8th grade, to keep in point at that time i knew nothing about the schooling system here. I had all A’s that year

Then came freshman year of high school, again because of the poor guidance i got i didn’t know how essential it was to take those honor classes or even how helpful they might turn out. Not to only blame my counselor as i was part at fault too for not researching it all up. Even that year i got all A’s in my classes although keep in my they were all standard and it was all very easy for me at that point. However that year i reaised the value of honor and AP classes and made a note of it to take them next year

Then the transition to sophomore year, the worst academic year for me so far. i took all honor classes and two AP’s, this is the year everything went downhill. The first quarter grades were great except for chemistry, I really struggled in that class but i never switched to standard chem, kept thinking that if i just tried harder my grade would pull up, i’d just like to point out that when i say struggles i mean in 60s. I also had a D/C in my hon spanish class and i pass failed my AP Psychology class, however psychology were different than the other two because i actually liked the subject i just didn’t take it as seriously as i should have but i passed the class and it didn’t affect my gpa.

Junior year, it started off great however i knew i could do better i got A’s and B’s in all my classes in the first quarter except in my AP Human GEO class(65), it’s the same thing with AP psychology happening all over again, i just can’t find the motivation to do it, it’s nit even that the class is hard there’s just work. Now i have 3 weeks till quarter 2, i have an F in AP Engineering but i can get that up because my teacher doesn’t care how late we turn in assignment as long as we do, however i’m ashamed of myself that i let it get to that point because i loved the class and this is just the affect of my laziness. i have a 63 in human geo but we still have 2 weeks and a bunch more assignments i can turn in to make it at least a ‘b’ i think. i have a 75 in hon physics and i think i did bad on a recent test, i don’t know what is happening i’ve always enjoyed physics and got a good grade, i believe i just need to get it together but i don’t really know at this point. I forgot about my hon math class i had a 73 in it q1 and this quarter it looks like it’s going to be the same unless she gives us a test or something in these two weeks.

Also something else that’s worrying me is the S.A.T, so our school took the pSAT too and i got a 490 in math and 480 in reading which i realise is a pretty bad score but at that point i hadn’t gotten into the deeper parts of my SAT review books so i didn’t worry about it THAT much but recently i took the test again and my score only move up like 25 points per section. I’ve been thinking about colleges at this point and it’s just really scaring me because i don’t think im going to get in to the ones i want, i was thinking about UNC and it’s acceptance rate is 28% but their avg SAt score is 1200+ and their average GPA is 3.6 or 3.8+

Some things that might be notable is that i can play tennis and i played for the school team this year and that i did volunteering for 65 hours

I’d just like to ask though, what should be my next step, what are my chances, is it all over?? is there ANY way i can rectify this.
Thank you for your help

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Are you in-state for NC? If so, maybe consider NC State or ECU?

I think your best bet is to sit down with your guidance counselor and your parents (or guardians) and figure out exactly what is driving your grades down so badly. Is it a language barrier? Do you possibly have a learning disability? Maybe you just need to put on your big girl/boy/etc panties and just get to work? Junior year is pretty critical, and it’s not looking too great right now. Maybe consider other extracurriculars, get a tutor? Also, what part of NC (I’m assuming, based on the quarter system and UNC) do you live in? You can PM me and I can give you better advice based on that. The difficulty of your school also is a factor.

But really, I think you just need to buckle down and start studying differently. IDK without more info. Especially with a lack of extracurriculars, UNC might be hard for you.

Good luck!

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i am in state, chapel hill specifically. i don’t believe it’s the language, i’ve been speaking english since i was 3 but like you said i have been considering others like ncu and eastern bc they have a higher acceptance rate. im going to set up a meeting with my counselor. Do you think they’re my only chance at this point? also would it be better for me to go there or do the go to community college for a year and then try for unc? my school is supposed to be the most rigorous in the district i go to but i don’t really know if that’s the problem but rather me just not trying as hard as i should be. i’m going to approach it a different way, doesn’t look like the way im approaching it now is leading somewhere. thanks for the pov.

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Go to community college or a lower sat rated college nearby. You can go there for a year or two then transfer if you’re keeping your grades at B+ and A’s. That’s your best bet tbh. Good Luck!

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No need to lower your standards by going to community college. I am also an Indian in NC who moved to America 5th grade year. Obviously, I had easier time I. High school. I know how difficult it must be for you. Please PM me if you have to. These are a list of schools on the top of my head in which you will be a direct admit at. Make sure to study for the SAT really hard this summer and get a very good score and use your summer for internships/other activities:

U of Alabama Tuscaloosa (100%)
ECU (75/25 Chances)
UNC–Pembroke
UNC Greensboro (50/50)
Kent State
NC Central (100%)

If I were you, I would write good essay about transition to America, accept good scholarship to U of Alabama, work very hard and make no excuses first year of Alabama and maintain good GPA, and transfer back into NC at NC State or UNC Charlotte/Chapel Hill. Even if you are stuck at Alabama for 4 years, if you network yourself and work hard, it is a trader place to prosper. Don’t feel bad about not being able to fit into America. Never make excuses in college. High school can always be a hit and miss period.

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Also, remember that PSAT doesn’t count for college admissions. Just do very good on next try for SAT and submit only your highest SAT score from second attempt. Good Luck!

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Community college is not “lowering your standards”. It makes a lot of sense for some students.

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  • i got a 490 in math and 480 in reading which i realise is a pretty bad score but at that point i hadn’t gotten into the deeper parts of my SAT review books so i didn’t worry about it THAT much*

Ouch that really hurts. You need to really try hard (as in really really hard). I see people saying “PSAT doesn’t count for college admissions”. While that is true, the SAT is HARDER than the PSAT. I scored a 1460/1520 on the PSAT (which I consider pretty low) and then got a 1420 on a SAT practice exam (taking the real SAT in 2 weeks).

Also a 490 and a 480 is extremely low. You should already be scoring in the mid 600s without even having to study, the test is pretty much common sense for the most part. The vast majority of the content should have already been taught to you without the need to study anything extra.

AP Human GEO class(65), it’s the same thing with AP psychology happening all over again, i just can’t find the motivation to do it, it’s nit even that the class is hard there’s just work. Now i have 3 weeks till quarter 2, i have an F in AP Engineering

You seem to be really struggling in your AP classes, which is really bad, at this point you are worse off compared to regular classes. If you aren’t getting A’s or B’s you need to think about regs.

I’ve been thinking about colleges at this point and it’s just really scaring me because i don’t think im going to get in to the ones i want, i was thinking about UNC

I don’t want to be rude by UNC? The University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill? It is literally ranked #30 nationally with a score of 71/100 by the USNews ranking.

I am just going to compare myself to you.

I am also a junior, with 6 AP classes, 5 of which are A’s. On my PSAT I received a 1460/1520 with 730/760 on Reading and 730/760 on Math.

I sometimes volunteer to help teach Taekwondo and also do a lot of other volunteering. And yet my dream school is UT-Austin, which is ranked #56 nationally and has a score of 60/100 by USNews. Honestly I feel like I have a 25% chance of getting in.

My dream school is ranked far below your dream school and yet I will most likely struggle to get in despite my grades.

You (and I can say this for sure) will not get into UNC while failing multiple classes with extremely low standardized testing scores. My recommendation would be to go to a community college, study your *ss off, get all A’s in the hardest classes, before transferring into a college.

Again, I don’t mean to be rude or offend you, but your situation is quite poor.

Feel free to PM me. I can even help you get organized and give you tips etc. on what to do. Even though you are in a bad spot, a lot of extremely hard work will pull you out of this mess.

I just want to emphasize that whatever you do, DO NOT SIT THERE AND KEEP DOING THE STATUS QUO. If you don’t drastically change your study habits, learning, etc. you will most likely never be able to get into UNC.

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thank you for your help, i’ll look into these colleges

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Khan Academy provides fantastic test prep for the PSAT and SAT-- completely free as well.

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RMNiMiTz, your comment is less than helpful in all aspects. I don’t think he/she made this post with the thought of being chastised, and was in genuine need of assistance. Assuming we’re using the new SAT model, their SAT score isn’t fabulous but I think its a bit of a stretch to call it extremely low. Just because things come easily to you, does not make it something others can pick up right away. And instead of offering alternatives to raise said score, like any helpful person would do, such as jlite14, you continue to chastise and compare this person to yourself. You should not be comparing yourself to another student, especially in an attempt to “humble brag”. You know your statistics well exceed the averages at UT Austin.

I am EXTREMELY disappointed in the lack of help some people on this site can be, to an extent in which its almost as though some people are brought joy to bring bad news. Let me be clear, summerstars, there are many things you can do to help yourself. Khan Academy can help raise your PSAT and SAT scores, especially if you put your mind to it. Also, if you complete high school with an undesirable GPA or otherwise unsightly transcripts, community college is an option. Colleges won’t be interested in your high school history if you have college transcripts. Improved college transcripts and test scores could allow you to advance to the college you desire.

Don’t give up, or lose faith in your ability. I see far too often when reading through some of these “Chance me” threads, people having very little faith in themselves, only to have that squashed by someone who is also a high school student and not a college admissions adviser. You can contact an adviser at your desired school and they may be able to provide some insight as to what you could do to become more of a candidate for acceptance.

If you want to PM me for anything, feel free, and I’ll be of as much assistance as I can.