Really Bad Grades in HS

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Helllo. I am currently doing really bad in high school and I really need some guidance on how I should move forward from it. I used to be a pretty good student however things started going downhill and I am really beating myself over it to the point of depression.

This year is currently my junior year. I am taking 4 APs.The calculus at our school is notorious for failing students thus my GPA plummeted.

AP Calc AB: F
AP Lang: B+
APUSH: A
Spanish 3: C+
Leadership: A
AP Chem: C
AP Chem Lab: C

My grades this year is pathetic. I had big dreams to attend some UCs but at this point I don’t think I will make into any of them. Should I just plan to go to community then transfer? Freshmen and Sophomore year I had As and Bs. How should I plan my future to maybe attend the UCs of my choice.

Thank you!

2

You need to calculate your UC capped weighted GPA at end of Junior year to get a better idea of your chances for the UC’s. What are the reason(s) your grades are dropping? This can be addressed in one of your personal insight essays unless it is just ambivalence…

It will also depend upon which UC’s you are targeting since UC Merced and Riverside are still possible and will consider you if you can retake the AP Calc class and replace that F. There are also many Cal States where you would get an excellent education and have a good chance for an acceptance if your previous grades are A’s and B’s. I would work hard to get those grades up, maybe consider dropping down to regular Calculus and get extra help from a tutor or teachers. All is not lost and going the CCC route and transferring is a very good option.

Best of luck.

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

3

If you have really bad grades first semester of junior year, colleges REALLY love it if you were to make a comeback and improve them second semester.

In my opinion, there are MANYYYY students like you that beat themselves up for having bad grades at times like yours right now and already calling to go to community colleges etc, but in reality miracles do happen and you may even get accepted into some UCs like UCI or UCSD maybe. You just have to work harder next time.

Also, I think you OVERLOADED your coursework. AP CALC+AP LANG should already be an indicator that you’re gonna overload your schedule already, but AP CHEM+APCHEM LAB+ APUSH+SPANISH 3 is already overkill. And if you’re doing other extracurricular activities outside of school, needless to say, you’re not gonna be able to have ALL A’s in every class, but mostly B’s and maybe even C’s. I think you are a good example of what NOT to do as a high school student. If you’re just trying to impress colleges with your coursework, you’re already misunderstanding their system.

I’m a senior in H.S right now, and in total I only took 5 APs (plus honors as well), and I can be most certain that I have a definite chance at mostly all the UCs because I had mostly all A’s. Now, here’s a comparison scenario:

If a college admission officer had to choose between YOU or ME, who you’d think they’d choose (academic wise). I’d say they’d lean more to me because even though I sorta chose to go in the safe route of regular courses, I SUPER excelled in that class, BUT if you excelled in your AP classes, then you’d have a better chance than me, but as of now, I think my stats would’ve outweighed yours.

My advice: If you don’t pull yourself together ASAP, you’re either gonna go to a CSU or a CC. If you have a chance, I would say to drop some of your AP courses to lessen the stress and coursework. Now, I dont know how your school system works (block schedule or whatever), but it’s up to you to make wise decisions and do whatever it takes to succeed. Talk to your teachers, counselors, friends, family, and communicated to people like us to possibly help you.

Good luck to you my friend. You have a big task ahead of you. :slight_smile:

4

Hey there!

I’m a sophomore in high school and I know this may not help but I received a 4.27 W GPA for S1 (all A/A-s). I am taking 2 APs and 2 honors (heaviest courseload for freshman if not like 3 year advanced in math – I’m one year advanced). When I am not doing well, I like to assess where those particular issues are coming from: quizzes, tests, etc. Once you find your weaknesses, dedicate a heavy amount of time towards those in order to improve them.

I would personally focus on getting Spanish and Calc AB up, since those are considered some of the “easier” courses. Chemistry is known as difficult, therefore it’s more understandable to do alright in. Also assess what major you’re planning to apply as, what subjects that falls into and target those areas more.

I hope this helped somewhat. Good luck!