My Parents Are Trippin

Parents Forum
1

<p>I think I'm making 2 or 3 Cs on my reportcard this semester because in one of the grace periods, I failed English and Physics. Averaged with my other grades, I made a C.</p>

<p>My parents thing because of this I won't get into college. They are absolutely ridiculous. They don't know ANYTHING about me because they keep yelling about how I don't know what I'm doing when in reality, I am constantly on college websites and emailing my counselours.</p>

<p>Everytime I try to reason with them, they interrupt me. MY mother especially, likes to interrupt and then totally change the subject just so she can continue to be angry.</p>

<p>What can I do to get my parents to chill? A boy at the school near my house (I don't go to it, though) got into Baylor but he made mostly Cs and he's on Academic Decathlon. Well, I have a B average and I'm on Ac Dec. So that really makes me feel like I could get into BU easily! My parents are really ****ing me off. I know, I promise, I'll make As and Bs next semester. I know if I make a C again next semester, they will make my Senior yaer a living hell! Plus, those 3 Cs will bring down my GPA and I may not be eligible for some scholarships coming up!</p>

2

<p>College admissions are based on your grades through first semester senior year, and downwards trend can hurt your chances quite a bit. Maybe your parents are not as "ridiculous" as you think...</p>

3

<p>You should have applied earlier so the colleges wouldn't see your semester grade, but rather see your final grades. That way, you would have an opportunity to bring the grades up. So try to get your transcripts in before the semester ends!</p>

4

<p>Yeah, nnhmm, I know a downward trend is really bad. But I think its ridiculous for my parents to say I'm going to end up needing to do COMMUNITY COLLEGE. When I said my parents dont think I'll get into college, I meant ANY college. Plus, I still have time to make good grades that ad com will see.</p>

<p>Oops, did I not say that I am a Junior?</p>

<p>If I was your child, what do you think I could do to make you feel better?</p>

<p>Also, when is the appropriate time to send applications? Seniors are telling me they got their acception letters last month! The semester is not even done!</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
**College admissions are based on your grades through first semester senior year

[/quote]
**</p>

<p>Nay nay nay I say.........students who apply during rolling admissions and those who apply ED/SCEA/EA don't have their first semester grades considered because they are accepted prior to the grades being posted.</p>

6

<p>Yeah. That's why I can't apply early to Rice or SMU because my grades this semester are bad and I want 2 semesters of good grades to make up for it. But I can apply UTulsa or Baylor early because I think they'll accept me regardless.</p>

7

<p>What you can do to make your parents feel better: Do your best work. Focus. Don't slack. Take the toughest classes you can manage, do the best you can in them, do all the reading and studying and assignments and don't blow anything off. Talk to your teachers in the classes where you are getting C's and see if you can find out what you can do better next time--are you not taking enough notes? Are you not allowing enough to review for tests?</p>

<p>Focus on the process and not the result (the grade). The truth is classes get a lot tougher junior year and you have to do more prep work--you can't slide by with reading the chapter the night before the test any more. </p>

<p>If you need to learn study and notetaking skills there are books available. Lots of my daughter's friends are very smart but have lousy study skills and it is biting them for the first time in classes like AP Physics. Reading it once is not enough--you have to read it once, do the problems, and go back and read it again while taking notes. Then you read it again a third time. </p>

<p>If you are doing all this and still getting C's then your parents should get off your back and adjust their expectations. Some kids just have a tougher time in certain classes.</p>

8

<p>"If I was your child, what do you think I could do to make you feel better?"</p>

<p>If you were my child, here's what you could do to make me feel better (your parents' mileage may vary):</p>

<p>First of all, understand that you can get C's and still get into a 4-year-college, but Rice probably won't be one of them. I'm not saying 2 C's will knock you out of Rice--your entire application will be considered. But C's are definitely problematic for all top universities, so your parents have reason to be concerned if you are trending downward toward C's -- and at this point, there is no way that your parents can get any comfort that this is only a transient blip and not a downward trend. </p>

<p>So, what can you do?</p>

<p>Take Mombot's suggestions, they are very good. </p>

<p>And starting right now, begin your "free time" every day by getting out your homework and digging in--without distractions. No AIM, no TV, just you and the books. As soon as you've had a few moments to have a snack, get yourself together, whatever, hit the books. Don't expect to take a 4 hour "break" after school and wait until 8 or 9 at night to start studying and not have your parents get upset. Maybe you know that you only have half an hour of homework and will have it done by 10, but your parents have no way of knowing that. And, you could be wrong about how much time you need. If you begin early, you have the maximum amount of time to prepare. If you wait, you have lost potentially valuable time. </p>

<p>Tell your parents that you are also concerned about the C's, that you have a plan of attack and tell them what your plan is. Tell them that you will be putting your studies first above everything and then show them that you mean it by actually doing it. If they begin to see that you really do have a plan and are following through, that could go a long way toward calming their fears. </p>

<p>There really isn't any "reasoning" with your parents on this subject. Most parents want to know (a) that you understand the problem and agree it's a problem, (b) that you have studied the problem and have formulated a strategy to fix it, and (c) that you will follow through. That's very different from "reasoning" with them. Trying to get them to understand that you can still go to a 4-year college with C's is missing the point. The point is to figure out what is standing in the way of getting A's and B's and then getting it out of the way. And most are very willing to help in any way they can.</p>

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<p>From the sound of it you dont really care about going to college. At most schools there are far more applicants than places and it is admissions job to give spaces to those who want them the most. This is because colleges spend a lot of their resources on each student and want to be sure that students graduate. When the going gets tough in college, only those who really really want to be there will survive.</p>

<p>From your thoughts that Cs are no big deal it is clear that you are not that bothered about getting in. You are focused on what is the minimum that is necessary to get in. It will be clear from your grades that you are not that pushed and admissions people will see that - they measure your interest in attending schools mostly by your grades.</p>

<p>You should not care what your parents think. The days of trying to do the minimum to keep them happy are over. The question should be what do YOU want. If your really wanted to get into school X then you would know what grades are needed and getting a C would matter to you.</p>

<p>Time to think hard about what you really want and remember that you need to show it by your actions (getting good grades) not by your intentions (visiting websites)</p>

<p>TC</p>

10

<p>I wouldn't worry about making your parents feel better as much as simply <em>doing</em> better. One "boy at the school near my house" doesn't a valid pattern make and I think you will be brutally dismayed when you apply to BU. Being on AcDec isn't a gold key, it's a "plus" if on top of an otherwise competitive record. And I'd hazard to guess that your attitude will come out somewhere in your recs. Unfortunately, your screen name seems too well chosen.</p>

11

<p>I'm going to be frank: Don't bother applying to Rice. I've only had 1 C on my semester grade that I brought up to a B by the end of the year. (Honors Chemistry). I'm focusing on getting into Texas, and not dreaming of applying to Rice. </p>

<p>Baylor you'll have a better shot at, but remember that just because your friend with worse stats got in doesn't necessarily mean you will get in. Baylor puts a lot of emphasis on nation merit Consideration, as well as involvement in church related functions. I have some friends who are better students than it sounds like you are that got deferred at baylor and are biting their nails. </p>

<p>Let your parents know that you ahve seafeties like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. If they wanted you to get in Rice, they won't want to hear the words "Oklahoma State", but at this point, you need to be realistic.</p>