so im taking 5 hard classes and guess what?

Applying to College
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<p>i have b's in all of them. they are all honors classes. i know that they say its better to get b's in a hard calsses then a's in easy class but thats bull ****. this was supposed to be the beggining of my upward trend.</p>

<p>and you know the worst part? 3 of the b's were within 3% of the A
phys-88
math-88
eng 87</p>

<p>im a junior and before know my gpa was crap. I really needed perfect grades this year. if i get a 4.0 next semester i will barely have a 3.3 uw and 3.5 w. i just completely killed my chances at a good school didnt i? </p>

<p>if i do get a 4.0 next semester is there any hope of a decent college or is it off to my state U?</p>

2

<p>umm yeah it's not easy to get A's, if it were easy then everybody would have a 4.0</p>

3

<p>really????? i thought if i just showed up they would give me an A. its not like im worked my ass off or anything....</p>

<p>if anyone has a real answer to my question please respond</p>

4

<p>Try to focus on maybe two of your favorite subjects and try to bring up your grades in them. Focus in on your area of weakness. Is it the tests your doing badly on? quizes? or homework? Talk to you teachers. Maybe they'll stay after school if you're having trouble understanding the material.(plus they'll notice your working hard and that you really care about their subject, a plus if you're going to ask them to write a recommendation). Study with kids in your class that are doing well, or ask them to tutor you.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

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<p>thanks</p>

<p>but to clarify these are my final first semester grades that are going on my transcript</p>

6

<p>Start doing something extraordinary. Score high on standardized tests. There are low GPA students who get into prestigious colleges.</p>

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<p>If it makes you feel better, I got straight B's first semester of my junior year too - I was taking 4 APs and 2 honors. Second semester, I brought my grades up to 4 A's (in 3 AP classes) and 2 B's (1 honors, 1 AP).</p>

<p>There's definitely still time for an upward trend! I made straight A's in 6 APs this past quarter (first semester might be a different story.. heh..) and colleges will most likely understand. For me, the transition to AP was a little rough, but you have to just set your mind to it. I definitely could've worked harder - I was used to getting an A by just sitting in class and doing homework the morning it was due. AP was different.</p>

<p>If you work REALLY hard, and your grades improve drastically, you could probably talk about that in your application as well :)</p>

8

<p>Will you have a shot at a good school? It depends on how you define good. Top 10? Not bloody likely. Top 50? Definitely possible, especially from among 40-50. Top 100? Almost definitely.</p>

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<p>do really good on sats and they may overlook your grades more than with an average sat</p>

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<p>if it helps i have a 33 on the ACT</p>

11

<p>it helps some. focus more on extracurriculars. colleges tend to place heavy weight on them--especially the top universities. maybe excellent ec's will counterbalance your GPA</p>

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<p>ya, if you want to start changing those bs to as i actually would focus more on your stronger, not weaker classes. i made the idiot decision this year of putting almost all my efforts into my hardest class chemistry and it killed my other grades (plus i still didn't do well enough in chemistry..). focus on classes that you like or are a bit easier for u and that'll probably give u a mix of as and bs.</p>

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<p>grades aren't everything, so as long as you show other aspects of your character and your accomplishments, you still have a good chance at good colleges. don't worry :)</p>

<p>good luck with second semester</p>

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<p>concentrate on what you do well. Specialize. Write your essay about your passion for that subject. Put a related major on your applications. Try to think of things you can do outside of class related to that field (like volunteer on campaigns for government etc). Just go crazy with what you are good in and you you will be surprised as top colleges look more for passion than "being well rounded" Good act. That will help.</p>

15

<p>Do Duke and Columbia focus a lot on GPA?</p>

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<p>
[quote]

umm yeah it's not easy to get A's, if it were easy then everybody would have a 4.0

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Everyone DOES have 4.0s. Don't think it has to do with academic ability though...</p>

<p>
[quote]

Do Duke and Columbia focus a lot on GPA?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Don't fret man. I've this before and I'll say it again, these schools have enough 2300+ 5.0 GPA applicants to fill freshman enrollment 10 times over. GPA and SAT are no longer the deciding factor.</p>

<p>If you aren't able to achieve desired GPA without interrupting other necessary activities, end that goal. You're just wasting time, seriously. Build on skills you excel in, invest in hobbies that illustrate true and genuine interest. Everyone can score 5's on AP exams with enough studying, but not everyone is an expert at piano, or a #1 quarter, or a exceptional movie buff, or a great writer. HONE your talents, not busy work. </p>

<p>It will pay off in the long run, whether or not you get into [insert frivolous prestige school here]. </p>

<p>With a solid essay and personal statement, GENUINE e.c (not a laundry list of blatant college-appealing bits), and heart...you'll do fine. Personality and experience will be the primary sources of your success, not a fancy degree from Columbia or Duke.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>P.S 3.3 GPA is pretty bad for a Tier 1 school like Duke. You'll need a top % SAT and decent e.c to even be considered a reach.</p>

<p>Of course, processing errors do exist. </p>

<p>Just being honest here, the college acceptance game is by no means fair.</p>

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<p>Is a 3.5-3.6 GPA pretty good or pretty bad?</p>

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<p>^it's not going to help you get in, but it won't keep you out. you have to look at it in context of your school, test scores, ec's, etc. </p>

<p>if you have a 4.0 but your teachers hate you, you have horrible reccs, you're essay is contrived, and you're a member of 5 random clubs, you're probably not going to get into Columbia
if you have a 3.6 because you suck at english but you rock at science and math, your reccs show you're a good student who works hard, you wrote an amazing essay, you won the intel science competition along with other ec's you are passionate about and are an athletic recruit, then you have a pretty darn good chance of getting into Columbia</p>

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<p>sublimo, it depends on where you want to go. There are plenty of good schools that will be thrilled to have you. I wouldn't count on top tier but then again, very few people can. Go to collegeboard.com and compare your stats with those of others at schools you would like to go to. Relax. You are doing well.</p>

<p>My nephew had a 1860 SAT and a 2.85w GPA. He was accepted into 5 of the 6 schools he applied to. Two CSU campuses, U of Arizona, and St. Mary's College of California. Make sure your list includes academic and financial safeties and you will be fine!</p>

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<p>I agree that it depends where you want to go. Also, if your course load is extremely rigorous, make that known to where ever you want to apply. Because if you're working your ass off to get a "B," that's 50 times better than someone who does nothing to get an "A". Colleges will take that into consideration. Your weighted GPA is probably okay though. See what your weaknesses are and see how you can improve. Work hard next semester and it will get easier because you know how your classes work now. Your ACT score is fantastic too so that will help. Good Luck!</p>