I’m currently a rising junior and this year I have 2 Cs and a B on my transcript, and I might end up with 3 Bs and a C in math. This is especially concerning because that means I’m far below the average, because most students never get a C in their high school years, and I might not get into any of the colleges I want. This year my uw gpa is a 3.3, and my weighted is a 3.5, meaning that I’m probably one of the worst students in my school.
It’s not like I have a lot of ecs like most people I know; I’m in a sport and some clubs, and I volunteer at the library.
My grades have been impacting relationships with my family and friends as well, because they think I’m just a slacker who wouldn’t get anywhere in life. At this point I just don’t want to go to school anymore, knowing I’m far below average there.
I don’t know how I’m going to take 4 APs and survive junior year, considering I’m only taking 1 AP and 2 honors courses, when most people I know are taking 2 or 3 and still getting 3.7+ uw gpa.
Freshman year:
Honors Algebra 2: B/A-
Biology: B+/A-
Spanish 1 (1st sem) : A
History: A-/A
English (2nd sem): A+
Sophomore year:
Honors precalculus: C-/C (will try to bring it up to a B; the final is my only hope :c)
AP Chem: C-/B- (might end with a C)
Spanish 2 (2nd sem) : A (might go down a lot)
World History (1st sem): A+
Honors English (1st sem): B+
Photo (1st sem): A-
Video Production(2nd sem): B+, think I can raise it to an A
It’s pretty bad :'c
Depending on the college you’re planning on attending, GPA is like a hurdle. If their average is a 3.7 unweighted, and you have a 3.7 unweighted, you’re in good shape. Having a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.8 weighted with 500 APs is impressive, but that doesn’t always mean you’re automatically in. GPA is a large factor in admissions, but it’s not the only one. Plus, with AP classes, it’s not hard to bring it up. The key to success in classes is to not take the ones you know you’ll hate. Seriously, I can’t stress this enough. Yes, everyone wants to pile on 500 APs, but if you really hate math and science, maybe AP Physics C isn’t the best course of action.
And as for your family and friends being critical, use it as motivation. Having a goal of trying to impress certain people works for some people. Try you’re best in junior year, even if that means giving up half your social life. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If that means having to stay an hour after school for tutoring, take it. It only benefits you in the long run.
@incompletenam The thing is, I want to get into some of the mid-tier UCs, which looks at gpa more than most privates. I’ve also heard that they compare you to people from your school, which is problematic because I’m probably not even in the top half of my class.
There’s nothing you can do to change sophomore year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drastically improve junior year. Try to calculate what your GPA would be if you got straight As in junior year with all the APs and honors classes you will be taking. You have 2 years to fix your GPA, and with all the Bs and Cs you’re getting, you would definitely have to change your study habits. Now, I don’t know why you’re getting low grades, but you do. If you’re actually determined to get to where you want, you would need to put in the effort.
I got a D+ in English 2 and I still got into respectable colleges (including several mid-tier UCs and waitlisted at UCLA, but the school of final choice ranks higher than UCLA does). Since your sophomore year is something of the past, I would say just move on and make sure you don’t screw up your junior year, as that’ll be imperative for UC admissions; start prepping now if you believe you have to.
I think your issue is that you are taking a junior course (Pre calc) and a Junior/Senior class (AP Chem) as a sophomore. Most sophomores would take honors Chem and then take AP Chem (or Bio or PHysics) as a Senior.
So I would stop trying to “get ahead” and stay on the normal honors track and you will be fine.