<p>Alright so I most likely posted something similar to this earlier but this time I REALLY need help. In my posts earlier I talked about how I didn't fall into the pressure of cheating but this time it's not only that. I did so horrible that even I can't believe it as an Honors/AP student. Freshmen year I failed 2nd semester of Geometry. Sophomore year is the worst of my life and everything seemed to fall apart all in the same time, it's like a curse. 1st semester i FAILED Chem and I had a D in AP World History. 2nd semester of Sophomore year I FAILED Spanish 2 because of my crappy teacher. So all together that's 3 FAILS and 1 D in my high school career. I just took summer school for World History and made up that grade. I'm making up Geometry right now. I mean, I did improve 2nd SEMESTER of Sophomore Year, I earned a B in Chem, C in AP World History, but my Spanish grade turned into a FAIL. I want to go to a good College like NYU but I don't think that'll happen now. I feel so emotionally deprived and depressed..I don't know what to do. I still have Junior Year and SATS. If I some how manage to get a 4.5 BOTH Semesters Junior Year my GPA would be a 4.0. I would JUMP from a 2.6. I don't know if that'll help. Can anyone give me advice, I really need it now, I've hit Rock Bottom.</p>
<p>" I FAILED Spanish 2 because of my crappy teacher" unless virtually your entire class failed, it’s not the teacher whose the reason you failed. You need to take responsibility for your actions. It’s not the teacher’s fault. The first step to improving is admitting that you’ve made mistakes. </p>
<p>Making up the classes is a good thing, but (correct me if I’m wrong) I believe schools would still see something there for the original class (a drop or something?). </p>
<p>Now, enough with my commentary, here’s some advice. Take an easier courseload! I’m not saying take all easy remedial classes, but take a load that makes getting Bs or above not too difficult. Take responsibility for any bad marks you earn. Keep trying and dont get down and give up. Do well on your standardized tests and dedicate some time to your ECs and passions. There’s still a chance for NYU, but there are many other schools out there where you’d have a better chance and they’ll suit your interests.</p>
<p>Why are you still taking AP Classes with these kinds of grades? Was the Chem AP?</p>
<p>If I were you, I would take a breath, relax, and try and start over. What’s been done cannot be changed. It’s over. You can only go forward from here. You still have the most important year of high school ahead of you. I would recommend taking mostly regular/honors classes next year, not APs. Did you find out why your grades were so bad? Bad work ethic/study habits? Procrastination? Or did you just not understand the information? Find out your weakness and focus on eliminating it.</p>
<p>Try to seek help from your teachers whenever they offer it. At my school, teachers are required to stay after school 2 days a week in case students want to come for help, but most stay after every day.</p>
<p>Starting studying for the SAT/ACT early. A good score on one of those could really help.</p>
<p>hi. sorry you’re having a rough time :(. </p>
<p>as you know, there are many, many kids who do not get very good grades but are happy enough. and these kids are kind human beings who do nice things for others and everything.</p>
<p>so it doesn’t have to hurt to have a lower gpa. maybe you can improve and turn your gpa around, but the odds are probably heavily against that happening. </p>
<p>basically i think you need to be reassured that everything is okay despite your failings. you need to feel like everything is okay. to know it. i don’t really know how to help you feel like things are okay, but i believe they are. </p>
<p>academic expectations shouldn’t set some people up for intense disappointment like this. it’s sad.</p>
<p>Chemistry was an Honors class , I purposely didn’t take AP because I knew I wouldn’t be able to take the Course load. I did find the reason as to why my grades were low and I am determined to not make the same mistakes again. I truly do want the 4.5 GPAs BOTH Semesters next year but I don’t know how to. I REALLY REALLY REAAAAALLY want to attend NYU I also want to attend Boston University but I don’t think I have a shot in either one of them. :(</p>
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<p>Setting unrealistically high goals won’t help you. You’ll end up not meeting them and getting discouraged. Start small and work your way up. Going from a 2.6 to a 4.5 isn’t something that happens over night unless you magically find a way to fix your work ethic that quickly. For your first goal, start with something small like getting above a 90 on every test/quiz for one week. Then, the same thing for one month. Make your goal for first semester a 3.5. If you meet that, make it 4.0 for second semester. You’ll feel better about yourself with each goal you accomplish which will only help you do even better.</p>
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<p>What makes you want to go to these schools? Have you even visited them or is just because of their reputation? There are tons of good schools out there that you’ve probably never even heard of. Keep your mind open to everything.</p>
<p>I want to attend NYU or BU because they both have good reputations for Journalism. Im really interested in that. Starting off with small goals actually makes sense, thank you. I want to reach my goals but it seems impossible because of my past grades. Besides NYU and BU I’m interested in UCLA but thats FARRRRR out of my reach considering my past grades. I can’t go in the past and I feel like if I make academic improvements I still won’t be able to impress my dream colleges. I also want to thank you guys for helping me with my situation, I really needed this and I still need it, I appreciate it. I NEED ALL THE ADVICE I CAN GET. More help please? :/</p>
<p>Even with the 4.5’s both years, your unweighted GPA would likely still be too low for those schools. Don’t get me wrong – this isn’t meant to discourage you! Think of it this way: you’ve got more time to work towards your goals. You don’t have to go straight into those schools from high school; they’ll still be there if you go to another college for one or two years beforehand. Even if you do your undergrad elsewhere, they’ll still be there for grad school!</p>
<p>So as yankeesfanatic said, you should take it one step at a time. Do the best you can in high school, so you can get into a good starting college – you can apply to the ones you want to attend, but maybe you’ll end up attending a slightly lower-ranked school. Don’t worry about it. 
Now you have a year or two to keep working on your grades so you can transfer to those schools. You might get there right away, or it might take a bit longer, but if you work at it, I’m sure you’ll get where you want to go.</p>
<p>Best of luck – you know you’re capable of it!</p>
<p>So if I keep working hard it won’t be a waste of time? I like Boston University very much as well. I have contacted Boston university and NYU admissions office and told them my situation they said they look at applications holistically . My plan is to work hard , GET that 4.5 gpa, make a good impression on my teachers in order to get a good teachers recommendation , and lastly join more clubs . Currently I’m still making up geometry and I won’t retake chemistry but I’ll make it up. Do you guys think my plan will make a difference? I sound pathetic and I’m really sorry but Im desperate to achieve my goals. I wanna get to NYU or Boston University or even Pepperdine University in Cali.</p>
<p>Can your family even afford NYU or BU? In the end, even if you are accepted, your family might not be able to afford them…</p>
<p>Just keep trying and study more and more.</p>
<p>I’m just gonna keep moving forward and try, try, and try harder. What bugs me the most is the past. When I think about grades the past haunts me . The 3 Fs and 1 D bugs me so much that it depresses me to the point where I have suicidal feelings because I feel like there’s NO POSSiBLE way to achieve my goals. Sorry if I sound “nagy” or “annoying” or if it seems like im “whining” . if I share my explanation to the D and Fs no one believe me even though its true. :/</p>
<p>If you are really interested in Journalism as a career, do something that shows schools that you are special because of your initiative and skill. Write pieces for newspapers or something.</p>
<p>Work on that gpa and ecs and keep an open mind. You never know what might happen.</p>
<p>I hope everything works out. Another thing that bugs me is that the 3 Fs and 1 D are getting to my head. They’re makin me depressed. I can’t be happy no matter what happens to me and I don’t know how to be optimistic . I forgot how to be happy because I’m losing faith in myself.</p>
<p>Focus your time on studying for standardized testing then. Do what MutaRiSC said and join things like the school newspaper and such if you haven’t already. Sign up for communication classes at your school if they’re offered. Also, Emerson College is an extremely respected college in the world of communications. There are a bunch of others that aren’t as selective and financially straining as NYU and BU are, and aren’t AS selective, but are still selective. The only thing that we can really tell you is that you have to put in a lot of effort this year and study a lot. Make connections with your teachers. If you’re having problems then go after school and ask them for help. Ask your classmates for help. Read whatever you need to read, Google whatever you need to Google. Stop focusing on what you’ve messed up and start doing something about it. Change your ways.</p>
<p>There’s not much else that we can tell you other than that. If you have as bad of problems as the ones you have described, then go and see a therapist. There is nothing wrong with that. But, seriously, take control of your future now. You can’t blame everything on bad teachers or anything other than you. With that said, you can’t let that stop you from trying your hardest. All you can do is try. That’s it.</p>
<p>What’s done is done. Worrying about the grades wont change them. Just do your best from now on and make small goals for yourself. Make every goal “better than I was yesterday” and you’ll always be improving.</p>
<p>I totally agree with swizzle. Chill out, kick it up on grades and do some awesome journalism</p>
<p>I completely get where you’re coming from with bad grades in the past and trying to improve your GPA to no avail. I was similar to you (though I never failed a class) and I thought I would have a very hard time finding a school I would be happy at since my GPA did not reflect my current work ethic or standards for myself. (My semester GPA was 2.57 one semester and a 4.0 two semesters later, that’s how seriously I took changing myself and working harder.</p>
<p>Now for my opinion: the prestige or name brand college you may be in love with is not all that it seems and there are so many other great schools for journalism that may make you so much happier once you overlook the prestige of the school. Many people on CC state this all the time, but for some reason this one very important concept seems to slip peoples minds when they are looking at colleges and see names like UCLA or NYU. </p>
<p>If you are really serious and interested in Journalism, check out the schools listed here (after the top 3 list is a list of 10 of the best journalism colleges in the US): [Top</a> 10 Journalism Schools in the U.S.](<a href=“http://education-portal.com/top_10_journalism_schools.html]Top”>Top 10 Journalism Schools in the U.S.)
Indiana University - Bloomington’s 2016 average admitted GPA was 3.47 (but the low was 1.99). Here are their test scores:
25th / 75th Percentile
SAT Critical Reading: 510 / 630
SAT Math: 540 / 650
SAT Writing: 510 / 620
ACT Composite: 24 / 29
ACT English: 24 / 30
ACT Math: 24 / 29
ACT Writing: 8 / 10</p>
<p>I got all this info in less than 5 minutes of research, and I know nothing about journalism. NYU, BU, and UCLA weren’t even on the list… And I’m not specifically recommending Indiana U, I barely know anything about it or your financial/living situation so this may not be a match at all, but it’s an example of what you should be striving for. Schools like this with great journalism programs but no massive and ego inflating prestige are your hidden gems. Look at them instead of NYU for your goals, you’ll probably be a lot happier.</p>
<p>If you can get your GPA up to around 3.3-3.5 unweighted, and do well on test scores, get some good ECs, write solid essays, etc.</p>
<p>…you still have a decent shot at BU and these schools from that “top J Schools” list:</p>
<p>Missouri
Indiana
Maryland
Florida
Ohio U</p>
<p>In sum, you love BU and NYU – NYU especially is a stretch right now, but hard work may raise your GPA quite a bit and you <em>could</em> put together a pretty solid application.</p>
<p>I’d consider applying to those other five schools as well, for two main reasons:</p>
<p>1) They are very strong in Journalism
2) They may act as a safety net for you, in case you do not get into BU or NYU. I’m thinking 3.3-3.5 UW and good test scores/essays/ECs could see you into at least two of those five schools.</p>
<p>@Scutrules . I like UCBerkely, Northwestern, and I LOVE COLUMBIA University off that list but that’s wayyyyy out of my league unfortunately . Berkeley seems nice too but I doubt theyll consider me.@Prezbucky are you talking about a 3.3-3.5 cumulative unweighted gpa or a just a cumulative 1(junior) year unweighted gpa? Thank you everyone for taking the time to research for me and helping me.</p>