<p>Freshman currently at Ivy. I was really ill throughout the semester, primarily mentally speaking-- one of my parents died really violently, basically. That's kind of the root of my problem. I was stupid because I didn't take any time off. I have a really, really rough and poor home background so "taking a semester off" would have sentenced me to dropping out or worse. My professors and advisers gave me a ton of crap, I never missed more than 2 full days of class though. I got a few crappy extensions, with a lot of 'tudes from faculty who didn't want me as a burden. Two professors and one adviser tried really hard to kick me out because my school is really bad with upholding traditional academic intregrity-- kids with problems are not accommodated, just sent home. Some days I suffered more than others, and I ended up with a 2.7. This 2.7 is HEAVY though, because I took a lot of credits and a lot of them are general requirements. </p>
<p>A lot of work study things here that I'd like to apply to, internships, etc. require 3s or higher. I feel so stuck and unaccomplished, I don't know what to do. I'm still struggling this semester emotionally, things have been really unstable back at home still and my advisers and professors are warning me "I don't want a repeat of last semester!" (right, like it's something to my benefit...I paid a pretty big price for a few mediocre extensions and pseudo-'understanding'!) almost always manage to pull low Bs if anything. </p>
<p>I'm slowly but surely getting back on my feet. I don't party, I go to class every single day. But it's hard to gauge how actually well I will manage to do here because I already come from a really low-achieving HS background. I don't know what "healing time" is versus actual ability. </p>
<p>I wanna go to grad for Education and/or English, probably. Right now I have taken no major courses, just huge lumps of gen requirements. </p>
<p>Any advice? How do I swallow all the missed opportunities I am dealing with because I am a B- student, even though last semester was out of my control? </p>
<p>The most important thing is to get back in control of your academics. One semester is not going to kill your chances if you keep improving. It is unfortunate that your school is not sympathetic to your situation but you just have to deal with it if you want to stay there. Look at it this way, even if the first semester is heavy, you can move your GPA right back up above a 3.0 within a semester or two. Then if the graduate programs you apply to pay attention to the last years of your undergraduate, you will have a shot at entering.</p>
<p>All that being said, you need to focus on now, your Bachelor’s degree, and worry about graduate school later.</p>
<p>I agree - one semester is not necessarily the make-or-break for you, especially if all you are taking are general education requirements. First of all, you can get back to a 3.0+ pretty quickly. Second of all, if you do well in your English courses a lowish GPA may be overcome by a high major GPA. Education is also a field that values post-college experience when it comes to grad applications.</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<p>* because I took a lot of credits and a lot of them are general requirements.*</p>
<p>Consider reducing your courseload. If you’re taking more than about 15-18 credits per semester, you are probably adding unnecessary stress to your life. A standard 120-credit bachelor’s can be completed in 4 years with 15 credits per semester.</p>
<p>It may also be that you need to adjust your study habits and/or the amount of time spent on coursework. I know that much of your performance can probably be attributed to your parent’s death and difficulties at home, but you say that your high school was not very competitive. That may mean that you got inadequate training on how to spend your time when studying and completing work, and you may need to augment or correct the training you have by visiting the various resources across campus - tutoring, the writing center, math help room, whatever.</p>
<p>I think it’s up to you to take advantage of the resources mentioned, but don’t neglect to take advantage of the counseling services. I’m a bit appalled at your reporting of your lack of support with the professors. Not to put it back onto you but maybe you didn’t go about it the right way, maybe the counseling office can help with coaching for things like that. Also you don’t sound like a really reliable reporter, but I’m sorry to hear if you weren’t given some accommodations and worse were given intimidation. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about the first semester. If it was truly an anomaly, then you can pull up your GPA with the upcoming seven semesters. Plus, it’s not even THAT bad - I’m not at an Ivy but I am at an Ivy-equivalent, and there are many valedictorians with 2300+ SAT scores who got sub 3.0 GPAs and didn’t even have any outside circumstances. </p>
<p>It also depends a little on the Ivy. If you are at Brown, for example, their average GPA is just around 3.6 (lol) and it should be easier for you to pull up. If you are at Princeton, on the other hand, they have notorious grade inflation and it might be harder to pull up.</p>
<p>Then again, a 2.7 at Princeton might look better than a 2.7 at Brown because people know about Princeton’s grade deflation policy. Which one are you at? </p>
<p>Above all, when applying to grad school, they care the most about your achievement in your particular field. That’s not to say don’t do well in your other classes, but your specialty/other relevant coursework and research experience are more important.</p>