<p>Hi everyone, I'm a sophomore at the Illinois Mathematics and Science academy(IMSA). It's a highly prestigious and competitive school and one of the best high schools in the nation (according to Newsweek) . I'll be a junior next Fall. And thank you so much in advance for taking your time to help me. </p>
<p>Before I came here I used to get A and A+'s in all my classes and I was ranked #2 in my high school. However, after coming to IMSA, I wasn't prepared for such commitment, work, and responsibility. I started first semester with C+'s in my physics class and in my methods in scientific inquiries class. I received B's in the rest of my classes. Next semester, I tried to put forth an effort to improve these grades but I was stuck in the bad habits that the beginning of the year put me in. No matter how hard I tried last quarter, I ended with C+s in my math course and in my biology course. I got an A- in chemistry and B's in the rest of my courses. I ask people about their grades, and most people got mostly A's and a few B's and are in all kinds of clubs. And now I can't stop worrying that I can't good into a good college and that I ruined my future with several bad decisions made in one year. I can't even fall asleep at night and Summer is here and I think I'll spend every day either regretting or worrying. I'm scared. Can someone please help. What should I do? Is it too late? Is there anything I can do to make up for these mistakes?</p>
<p>Thank You so much for taking the time to read this and thanks again in advance for replying.</p>
3.) try to have some fun. there's more to high school than getting into college.
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What this person meant is you're S.O.L.
If the hat doesn't fit, why wear it? Transfer out. But college already realize that you can't keep up. Again, you're S.O.L.</p>
<p>whoa, whoa. that's absolutely NOT what i'm saying. if you work hard enough, you'll get what you want in the end. but don't forget to try and enjoy what you're doing.</p>
<p>First of all...take a deep breath. You haven't wrecked your entire future. </p>
<p>And please, please remember that lots of people who get B's go to college, too. Some people who get C's go to college. College is NOT the exclusive domain of the straight-A student, and success in life is not the exclusive domain of people who go to the top 100 colleges.</p>
<p>I'll let you in another deep, dark secret of the adult world (shhhhh, don't tell!): After your first job out of college, nobody really cares where you went to school. After the first few years in the workforce, experience and job performance trumps education every time. College is an important thing, but it's not the only thing. </p>
<p>Spend your summer getting yourself grounded & centered again. Go into next fall with a plan for sticking with good habits, studying, and getting extra help if you need it. And if you can't...think about getting out of that "prestigious" school and into one where you can actually breathe and succeed.</p>
<p>I really feel for you. My daughter also attended a math/science school (not listed on the main newsweek list because it requires a high ACT to get in so it is listed separately with the top public 'elite' schools.) She went from being a straight A student freshman/sophomore year at our local HS to getting lots of Bs and Cs. She became so stressed that no matter how hard she tried she could never quite seem to get on track. I don't know about your school but at hers the administration were quite nasty to students who were not making good grades - the bullying tactics they used made her more and more stressed. I don't know how the grades would have affected her applying to top colleges - negatively I am sure - as she really lost confidence in herself and only applied to our large State U. She is doing great there and her confidence is coming back. The biggest long term negative we found is that she did miss out on some scholarships that we are pretty sure she would have got if she had stayed at her home high school. She did end up with a good scholarship from her college thanks to her ACT score.</p>
<p>Your grades may affect your ability to get into a top school but you will still get into a good school. Work hard and do your best but don't make yourself sick worrying about getting into college - you will get into college. And you will probably do well in college. Despite a hellish last couple of years in HS my daughter is back to being mostly straight As her freshman year of college (did get 2 Bs - 1st semester she worked really hard and got straight As easily so 2nd semester she kind of thought 'that was easy' and slacked off a bit an got mainly As but also a couple of Bs) and is back on track and doing well enough to resume thinking of medical school or grad school. Her future is looking very bright again. She went into college thinking she was stupid (this is a kid with a 32 ACT) and worried her future was ruined and she would fail at college but now is doing great.</p>
<p>You are obviously an intelligent person and I am sure you will do fine in the long run. Your college options may change a bit based on your grades from your currrent HS but you will have other options and they will include good schools. Do not decide that you are a failure because you limit your definition of 'success' to getting into an elite college. Many many people have successful college careers followed by successful lives after attending colleges not considered 'elite'. I am expecting my daughter to be one of them. And I am sure you will be too.</p>
<p>First, edit your post to get rid of the name of your school so people can't identify you.</p>
<p>Second, relax. Life happens. Spend your summer doing something constructive that you love that will help offset those grades. Don't do it just to resume-build, though that is a nice side benefit. Colleges aren't looking just at grades; they want to see a whole person.</p>
<p>I agree with those who say that you cannot "ruin your future". There are good colleges for almost everyone who wants to go to one. There are always second chances. You have to figure out how YOU learn best. Maybe super intense isn't your best strategy. Maybe you need time to digest material instead of having it shot at you rapid fire. You wouldn't be alone in that regard. There are many good ways to be successful. </p>
<p>I think that maybe you should transfer back to your original high school and ditch the stress of IMSA. Just do the best that you can and try to be the person that you want to be. Get plenty of sleep so that you don't damage your brain, and work on your study habits. You're obviously smart but it's clear that the stressful environment that you're in is counterproductive. It may be a great school, but it's not a great school for YOU. You are not a failure if you recognize when a situation isn't working for you. It's the first step toward where you want to be. </p>
<p>At your local school, your grades will probably improve next year, and your overall average can probably get you into a fine school. You can get your confidence back, you'll be happier and will probably learn a great deal anyway. Most importantly, you will learn how you learn best. Once you've figured that out, you can seek out a college that fits your learning style. </p>
<p>Somebody has to be in the bottom half of every school, and that holds true for IMSA. It's not for everyone - one of my son's teachers described it as, "College at age 14." </p>
<p>Talk to, or e-mail, some of your instructors over the summer. Do they think you have what it takes to succeed at the school? Are you willing to put forth that effort? Also, talk to IMSA's college counselor. Colleges do know how tough a school it is, and accept a far higher percentage of students than from other schools. Do some research on your options, and try not to look at this as a failure - you've learned a lot about your self and the outside world, albeit in what they call, "the hard way." Good luck!</p>
<p>My D is at one of these 'elite public HSs' too and I was quite mad at her for messing up her JUNIOR year with 2 C's (all A's and some B's previously)--because she was playing on the computer a lot and didn't plan her exam studying well. It just didn't have to happen.</p>
<p>So you see--you aren't the only one.</p>
<p>It will affect her admission to some colleges, I suppose, but I'm glad she learned this valuable lesson that procrastination can be a bad thing. She says she will watch the time she spends on the computer in her senior year. Hope so.</p>
<p>With respect to your situation, if you show an upward trend in your junior and senior years, I would think you could redeem yourself in the eyes of some competitive colleges. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, that it not helpful. Just resolve to study a LOT more and see if your grades improve.</p>
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No matter how hard I tried last quarter, I ended with C+s in my math course and in my biology course.
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<p>With all due respect aurorad12345, he tried as hard as he could and it wasn't working out for him. "College at 14" isn't for everybody. Pressure helps some kids but it hurts others. What if you are wrong and he gets bad grades junior year too? He needs both the chance to get good grades and the chance to experience a less intense learning style. </p>
<p>I work with a guy with a PhD from MIT who did his undergrad at an ordinary state public school. He said the opportunity to have time to think was critical to his ability to "put it all together", and having TA'd MIT undergraduates, he said that he didn't think he would have flourished with that kind of pace. He's one of the smartest people I know. He was able to "put it all together" and go to MIT for grad school. The key is finding your own rhythm. We're all different.</p>
<p>I'm going to assume that your school has good college counselors and keeps good statistics on where students end up. Calculate your current GPA and take a look at scattergrams that show how students from your high school with that GPA do with various colleges. This may be a relief, as sometimes colleges are a bit more lenient with students from excellent high schools that are known to be very tough.</p>
<p>I'm going to assume that your school also has some academic support for students who are struggling. There may be a different "way" of studying in your new school that you didn't need to do in your old one. Studying "harder" doesn't help if the study method is insufficient. (BTW, this happens a lot with kids who study in college the same way they studied in HS; doesn't always work.)</p>
<p>Get some help from those academic support folks. If there isn't anyone with that "title", go to your guidance counselor and discuss your study methods. Go to your teachers and discuss your study methods. And do it in September before you fall behind.</p>