My 10th grade was a wreck.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hiya,

I am currently wrapping up the second quarter of my third year of high school after a horrible sophomore year. And as college apps creep ever closer, I need to contemplate the train wreck that was 10th grade and how I can balance that out. I have heard from some people knowledgeable about admissions beforehand; however, each has said something different and therefore I would like a larger array of responses to truly grasp the scope of my situation.

Background:
I go to a maddeningly competitive school that is ranked, according to USNews, around 200 nationally. So this is going to hurt my chances right off the bat. My school uses the quarter system with four classes per quarter and 2 semesters per year, totalling 8 classes. Optimally I am looking to go into the nursing field, with computer science as a secondary option. Both are impacted majors (I believe?), meaning my chances are probably even lower. The fact that I’m Asian American does not help at all.

I breezed through my freshman year working diligently without struggling much and got straight A’s. The achievements that year and prior continued to help my mental health, which had been a little wonky since middle school due to pressure from my mom.

So I went into 10th grade thinking everything’s gonna be dandy. I’m not smart but I also didn’t want to lag behind my classmates, so I would be taking 3 APs: AP CSP, AP World, AP Chemistry. Over the course of this year, a few things happened: one of my close friends passed suddenly, I experienced failure for the first time by getting 4 C’s over two semesters, I denied my failure, thus leading to a massive decline in self-esteem, and then finally I dropped deep into an unmotivated state that I hadn’t felt since middle school.

Additionally, my mother was pushing drivers ed relentlessly in the middle of the school year, going so far as to restrict my computer access even more (I was without a computer for about two weeks and my time afterwards was reduced until I finished). Normally, I get about 2-3 hours a day on the computer and I do not get my phone unless I am at school or an event.

Overall, things that were once easy as pie for me became horribly difficult. For example, I received 2 A’s almost effortlessly in IM 3/Algebra 2 but struggled immensely with the same exact concepts in Precalculus. I knew I was bad at chemistry, but not bad enough to get C’s. I should’ve dropped AP Chem after the first quiz, but my mom wouldn’t let me and told me to “pick classes more wisely next time.” At school, I only found solace in my electives, ECs, and the labs we did in chem. This basically lasted throughout my entire 10th grade and got worse in the spring semester.

I knew I needed to turn myself around, I just didn’t know how to. Over the summer, though, I got a bit more serious.

Now, I am slowly picking myself up and I am taking a total of 4 APs out of 8 classes: AP Phys. 1 and 2, APEL, and AP CSA. In Q1, I received 2 A’s and 1 B. In Q2, though grades are not finalised, it looks like things are going in the same direction. Next semester (Q3/4), I am expecting 3 A’s and 1 B.

To date in high school, the only classes in which I have not gotten A’s are AP classes and precalculus. Most of the teachers I had have a positive opinion about me, including my counsellor. If I were to rate, I’d say maybe 7 or 8 out of 10 on average.

Is my predicament entirely my fault? Yes. Could and should I have worked harder? Yes. I understand, fully, all this is self-inflicted and I could’ve gotten out of it myself. I take full responsibility for my decline.

Some stats about me:

New SAT w/ essay: 1500 - 750/750 - 16 essay - 1st attempt
ACT w/ essay: 33 - 35/28/35/35 - 9 essay - 1st attempt (planning retake)
SAT II: none yet, plan on taking Math II & Literature soon
GPA: 3.8462 / 3.6410 (W total, don’t know which one is correct)

APs:

AP Chemistry (3)
AP World (3)
AP CSP (5)
AP Physics 1
AP English Language and Composition
PLANNING TO TAKE AP Physics 2, AP Computer Science A, AP Psychology, AP English Literature, etc.

ECs:

  • FRC: team head of Outreach Committee, photographer, summer camp counsellor, website developer, marketing member (10th-).
  • UNITE, formerly TEDxYouth: logistics member (9th-).
  • Badminton club (9th-)
  • CyberPatriot: Cisco/Windows (11th-)
  • Mental health for youth magazine: writer/editor (11th-) also est. 11th grade so I guess I’m an OG member?

Other things:

  • have written numerous articles for my school’s online and physical magazine
  • have written/edited articles published in a local newspaper
  • working on an upcoming MMO as a programmer/artist/marketer
  • working on a novel

Basically, nothing outstanding, but I love all my EC’s very much and if I could dedicate more time, I would.

I am applying for volunteer positions/summer programs at local hospitals right now and I reckon I currently have, maybe, around 80-90 volunteer hours?

I have no legacies from notable schools to assist. University of Nebraska-Lincoln and SDSU are the American colleges I can work with; I don’t think Peking University cares.

My questions:

  1. Knowing all this, and assuming an upward trend to mostly A’s and a few B’s, how are my odds of getting into UCs?
  2. What other schools would I have a decent chance at?
  3. Which schools can I pick as “safety” schools?
  4. Can an okay SAT/ACT counteract below-average grades?
  5. Can essays explaining my situation assist in college admissions?
  6. What can I do to make amends?

I understand I still have another year and a half of high school to complete but as the worst is behind me, I wish to know my current standing. I would rather not go to community college (and my parents are against this too) but there are some decent ones in my area; if I must, I’ll go.

I am so sorry for more or less typing up a full-blown essay. These are dumb questions and I know I’m pretty screwed, haha. But if I could get a little feedback I would highly appreciate it. Thank you.

2

So, what colleges are you looking at, other than the UCs, and what major are you interested in? What can your parents afford, and what regions of the country would you consider?

The main issue with the UCs specifically is that they only look at the GPA of your Sophomore, Junior, and first semester of Senior years, which could hurt you. To figure out what your actual chances are for UCs, you need to calculate your UC GPA.

On the other hand, with an SAT of 1500, if your UW GPA is 3.85, and you have a strong upward trend, you have pretty good chances at many very good colleges, especially since you have solid ECs. If your UW GPA is 3.64, it limits your choices a bit more, but you are still competitive for many really good colleges.

You are far from “screwed”. Even 3.64 is a pretty good GPA, and an SAT of 1500 is in the top 2%. You are very competitive with those stats for 95% of all colleges in the USA.

3

Where are you in-state for? And you mention Peking University aka Beida. Can you get a good enough score on the Gaokao?

4

I don’t think you’re screwed. You will need to apply to a good mix of schools, especially since nursing and computer science are competitive.

5

I think your essays will make you. Your writing skill comes across as very charismatic, so if you can show that you’re motivated, I think you’ll be fine.

6

@MWolf I don’t have a solid list yet haha, but based off a short list I’m looking at undergrad nursing programmes in APU and USD in CA (excluding UC’s); outside of CA, I am considering WSU, GWU, NYU, CWRU, Villanova, Ohio State (for now).

I’m not sure what my parents have set aside for my college fund (they’ve never told me, and when I inquired they did not give me any indication as to how much) but I would prefer tuition under 40k post-aid (which is still a tonne by all means). I wish to primarily consider the far west/west coast, particularly CA, so I can take advantage of in-state tuition or WUE to relieve my parents of some pressure. However, I am not against going way out-of-state.

I see, so getting into UCs might be a tough call since I’m 99% sure 3.84 is not my unweighted GPA, haha.

And thank you for the information on the SAT! That is good to know and I hope it’ll help alleviate my situation somewhat when the time comes.

7

@Hamurtle Sorry, I may have misinterpreted your question but if you are asking about my whereabouts, I am in CA.

About Beida- I only mentioned it in order to show the futility of legacy admissions in my case, haha. I do not think I could take the Gaokao in America, and I also doubt I could get into Beida to begin with.

Thank you for your feedback!

8

@Livvyxoxo Haha, thanks, but only time will tell. It certainly feels that way, unfortunately, due to my peers. They’re the ones driving up the AP exam 5 percentiles, I tell you.

But seriously, thank you for the remark about applying to a mix of schools; I have heard this previously but I appreciate your affirming it. And due to the competitive nature of both majors, that makes a lot of sense.

Thank you for the tips!

9

@daunt18 Thank you for the kind words! I wasn’t entirely sure just how important essays could be but I think I am starting to get some semblance of an idea, and I do hope they can come in clutch. Thanks for the tip!

10

Other than UCI and UCLA, none of the other UC’s have Nursing programs at the Freshmen admit level and you are looking at around a 2-3% acceptance rate for these 2 schools.

UC’s tend to be very GPA focused and only use 10-11th grades in their GPA calculation. Good 12th grades will keep your provisional admission if accepted but not a consideration in the admission process.

You can use the Rogerhub UC GPA calculator to determine your UW UC GPA, Capped weighted UC GPA (most common GPA listed in the UC Statistical data) and the Fully weighted UC GPA (unlimited # of honors points).

https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

You have an excellent SAT and ACT score but UC’s tend to be GPA focused. Being in the 3.7-3.9 capped weighted UC range, you might have an slim outside chance at UCI or UCLA but you would have better chances at the Cal States such as CSU Fullerton (direct admit) and San Diego State (direct admit) since they only use UC/CSU capped weighted GPA and test scores for admission decisions. CSU San Marcos has a direct admit BSN program but it is again highly competitive and priority is given to local applicants.

The rest of the Cal states are 2+2 BSN programs where you would have to go through another application after completing the Nursing pre-req’s to qualify for the Nursing school but you would be competitive for these programs. CSU Long Beach is a good target.

Other direct admit BSN programs are APU, University of San Francisco and Dominican University in California. Arizona State is another option. Plenty of direct admit Nursing programs on the east coast and several are less competitive than the California schools.

Sounds like you are turning things around academically and heading in the right direction. Continue to do well, do some more research on target schools and check out the Nursing forum for some great information.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/nursing-major/

Best of luck.

11

@Gumbymom Thank you so much for the insightful feedback! I highly appreciate it.

I do see that my odds of getting into the UCs are more than a little on the low side due to my dip in 10th grade. I did hear that they place great emphasis on GPA and it is nice to hear affirmation. As I begin heading into the actual process of college admissions, I will for sure check out the GPA calculator.

I was looking at the Cal State schools but I have not done a lot of research on them just yet; however, I will seriously consider them now as options. Regarding these schools, though, I’ve heard there is a long waitlist (e.g. SDSU) and therefore I may have to wait if I want to get a BSN.

I’ll also add the three colleges (USF, Dominican, ASU) onto the list I’ve started. Perhaps my odds could be better on the east as implied but I also worry about the tuition, haha. I doubt my C’s are going to help warrant any scholarships and out-of-state costs simply skyrocket.

About the Nursing forum-I didn’t know that existed! I’ll definitely take a look.

And again, thank you so much the thoughtful feedback!

12

Getting into a UC is going to be difficult for you, except possibly Merced. You know that, I’m sure , because you know that grades are seriously important in their process, especially sophomore and junior year. If you apply with a non impacted major stated, however, it would help your chances, and once you are in one of them, your grades in college will determine your chances of getting into the nursing programs there. So, give them a try. No reason not to have reach schools on your list as long as you also include schools where you have realistic chances of an acceptance.

Nursing programs tend to be very grades oriented, from what I have seen. Several community college programs that I know have average 4.0 unweighted GPAs for accepted students! So if you are looking for a direct admit nursing program, you need to research the admissions profiles for them, rather than looking at admissions stats for the college, in general.

I have seen many many strong students rejected from non selective schools when applying to highly competitive programs. Computer science is certainly such a program. Again, as with nursing, make sure you understand how selective that major is at the schools on your list as you start research and adding to it. Just because a school has a 85-90% accept rate, for example, does not mean that all majors and programs are accepted at that rate. Look to include colleges that allow easy movement among their majors, and apply as a more general major, and gravitate towards those subjects when you get there. Some selective schools fall into this category, yet admissions in general to them is less competitive than into popular programs at schools that are overall easier admits.

So vary the “eggs in your basket” when selecting colleges. No reason not to apply to some low chance of admit schools as long as you have some sure thing options. The old advice of picking “safety, match and meet” schools still holds but be aware that certain programs, if you want them, are what categorized the selectivity, not the overall stats, and it’s not as easy to get hard figured on programs snd majors most of the time.

13

I would look more seriously as CWRU as a first option. They give good aid and have both the nursing and CS areas of focus with the strong relationships with University Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic. Added bonus, getting you into a different part of the country and allowing you to be a little more on your own.

14

The Cal states admit by Eligibility index and major.

EI= (CSU capped weighted GPA x 800) + (SAT Math + EBRW).

You will be ranked based on your EI.

https://nursing.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FTFAdmissionProfile_2015-2019-1.pdf

I am not understanding your comment about SDSU Nursing and waitlists?? As a Freshman Nursing applicant, you are either accepted, rejected or waitlisted. Very few are accepted off the waitlist and once the class is full, you are no longer on the waitlist since admissions are complete.

https://nursing.sdsu.edu/programs/bs-in-nursing/admissions/direct-admission/

CSU Fullerton has established new criteria for their BSN program. Here is the link:
http://nursing.fullerton.edu/proposedbsnmodification/index.php

All Nursing programs are impacted for the California public universities which makes them highly competitive. Going OOS for many students has become the best option.

15

No problem! I’m interested in nursing as well, and I am not taking 10 AP classes like some people do. We have to try not to compare but it’s hard lol. Good luck and keep us posted!

16

As noted by @cptofthehouse: Both Nursing and CS will be highly competitive majors. Majority of Nursing programs will not let you select an alternate major like CS if you are not accepted and visa versa, so you might need to make a decision one way or another. Also for many CS programs, you also need a direct admit into that major since changing into the major later could be restrictive or non-existent.

Being a CA resident there a plenty of great options for both Nursing and CS but yes both are very competitive. CS is a very marketable degree, so you do not have to go to a UC to do well post graduation. Job/Internship experience for CS is far more important than the school you attended when it comes finding good paying jobs.

My younger son did CS at San Diego State (easier admit than Nursing) and is doing very well post grad in his field.

Definitely do some research. Best of luck.

17

As a programmer myself, I agree with @Gumbymom. Any reasonably decent CS degree from an accredited university will be more than enough to get you an entry-level job. What you do from there will determine your pay level. You don’t even need a CS degree either. You could get an IT degree and be just as marketable. In fact, I work with people with liberal arts degrees and a few programming classes. Tech is absurdly diverse with thousands of specialties, subspecialties, and micro-specialties. If you’re proficient in one good commonly used language (Java, C#, SQL, etc) , that’s worth its weight in gold.

18

@Gumbymom Thank you again for your insightful responses, and I apologise for my delay.

Re: SDSU waitlists; I appreciate your clarifying it, as I had only heard it from my mother previously.

I also appreciate the comments on other nursing programs throughout the state and CS; I will definitely take a look and do more research. Thank you for the well-wishes.

19

@coolguy40 Thank you for the response and I’m so sorry for replying this late! That’s good to know; I will keep that in mind as I start wading into college apps.

20

“I have no legacies from notable schools to assist. University of Nebraska-Lincoln and SDSU are the American colleges I can work with; I don’t think Peking University cares.”

I don’t understand this paragraph. Assist with what? The American colleges you can work with for what?

You’re a good student who’s sophomore year was shaky. Apply to colleges where your grades and test scores show you have a good chance of getting in. That means you want your GPA to be at or above the 75th percentile, ideally. Have a balanced list of reach, match, and safety schools.

You can add additional information to your application mentioning the passing of your friend. I’m not sure you should mention the rest, because it’s possibly going to sound like an excuse. I’d speak to your GC, who might want to discuss the impact the friend’s death had on you. It will sound more credible.