The reason why I am posting this on the Parents Forum because I’m sure your kids have dealt with this before and since my parents are immigrants who don’t really know how AP classes work and such I thought I would post it on here.
I finished freshman year with a GPA above 100 and I took pretty easy courses but they were the hardest ones offered for freshman year in my school:
Living Environment H
Geometry H
Global History H
English H
Spanish 2 (no honors program for languages in my school)
AP Human Geography
Band
Gym
Now, as a sophomore, I finished Q1 with a weighted 96 GPA and Q2 with a weighted 97.6 GPA with this courseload:
Chemistry H
Algebra 2H
AP World History
English H
Spanish 3
AP Psychology
Band
Gym
I am worried because I had a B in chemistry, Spanish, and algebra 2. My chemistry improved a lot in quarter 2 (had an 84 for the first quarter and then a 95 for the second quarter) and my Spanish will be better this quarter. I’ve never had averages below a 90 before in my classes until this year. I know that colleges want to see an upward trend but I am so scared because I went from having a 103 GPA to most likely a 95-97 by the end of this year. I really want to go to NYU to study international politics and film, run cross country and track there, and be a part of their Model UN team. I’m scared that these grades will give me less of a chance of getting in, I’ve developed anxiety and depression this year over them and I’m just really frightened. I chose some easier APs for next year:
AP Environmental Science
College Pre-Calc (different than honors pre-calc but has a higher weight, this class is tailored for Calc AB but not BC)
AP U.S. History
AP Language and Comp.
College Spanish
Film Appreciation
Band
Self Defense
I just feel extremely stupid and even quit some activities just so I can spend more time on school. I feel like I am deteriorating from stress and I don’t know how to get myself back up because I don’t usually deal with failure. This year has honestly hit me like a truck and I don’t know what to do. Sophomore year is usually the year when most of the well-performing students do a bit worse but I feel like I am doing absolutely horrible. Please help, I don’t know how to continue at this point
I don’t see any reason for anxiety. Your classes are getting more difficult and that makes it more difficult to keep an ultra-high GPA. My daughter, a junior now, had a slump in the first semester of her sophomore year. In her second semester she improved them just as you’re doing (went from 85 to 95 in two classes).
You are not doing horrible! A lot of students get several B’s and still get into really good schools. Please realize there are hundreds of good schools. And it’s still early for you, you have time since you are only a sophomore. It may help to focus on smaller steps. Look to improve your grades this year where possible. You’ve already improved your chemistry grade. Continue to work on it and try for an A for year-end. For next year, the classes look fine. If you run into difficulties, you could look for help from a tutor, classmates, or a teacher. Know there is help out there if you need it. Also try to get exercise. Even small amounts can help. And while your parents may not know about AP classes, they do know you. They will want you healthy and happy! That comes first and the rest will fall into place. Good luck!
Don’t worry! As long as you are taking harder classes, it is normal to “do worse.” I was in a similar situation to you; I got the same number of B’s in sophomore and junior years. However, I took 3 more AP classes junior year, so my grade trend did not deteriorate, so to speak. The cause for concern would be if you were taking classes at the same level of difficulty as freshman year, and doing worse, which you’re not doing. You’re doing fine
I think you might benefit from talking with a counselor of some sort, whether in school or out. You are doing fine and putting too much pressure on yourself. Don’t fix on one school. It is too early to think about college but if you must, then learn about all the schools out there (I always suggest the Colleges that Change Lives website). State universities are often great options too.
I really hope you can continue activities that you enjoy and are good at. They can counterbalance academic stress and fill you out as a person. But don’t do them for college admissions. Have you ever considered Karate, Kung Fu or Tai Chi?
Also don’t take the absolutely hardest classes in every subject. It looks like you might not be doing that, but just wanted to say that. You can get into a great school taking lesser math classes for instance. Schools know that people have strengths and weaknesses.
You cannot live high school years thinking about college admissions, or even about what you might want to major or work in. Please try to live for the present and just be yourself. Things will work out. You will be able to study what you want to study when the time comes.
Your feelings of being stupid are concerning. You are doing well in school. I understand you are used to perfection but this level of anxiety and depression really needs to be addressed by a professional, in my opinion. I hope you don’t mind this suggestion. I strongly urge you to do this asap because these things get worse before they can get better.
@droppedit I’ve taken the PSAT and some practice SAT tests. I scored a 1280 out of 1600 on a practice SAT without knowing much algebra and grammar. I plan to work on it over the summer so I can take them junior year including a SAT II test (most likely English because that is my strongest) and World History since I am taking AP World this year.
@compmom I’ve spoken to some people about it but it feels like feeling stupid and inadequate isn’t a big deal sometimes because most people in my school experience a big dip in their grades sophomore year so every top student now is struggling and I don’t really like how that works in my school. Sophomore year is supposed to be the most difficult and then people end up recovering junior year. I don’t have much choice in my schedule for 10th grade unlike 11th grade. And even though I have had some really depressing moments, there have been surges of highs and lows. I’ve never done stuff for a certain college and I’m deeply passionate about politics, Model UN, and social issues. Even though I am extremely sensitive because of minor problems like my grades, somehow I go on a rollercoaster with my mood because maybe something in my extracurriculars will go right. I feel like it is better than to be completely desensitized like how some of my peers are. Some people in my grade who are a part of the STEM program took on AP chem as sophomores, sacrificing sleep and life outside of school. I’m taking some easier courses next year (skipping AP Physics and since I don’t like math, just taking college pre-calc and then Calc AB senior year). I am trying to find that balance for junior year because I really want to throw myself into my passions instead of staying up until 2 AM trying to finish homework, but right now, it seems like I am just trying to scrape by for sophomore year academically. I’m hopeful for this summer (studying for the SATs and going to a political summer program) and my junior year.
Taking two APs as a sophomore and one as a freshman counts as a pretty demanding schedule in my book. I agree with others there are many, mnay fine schools out there were you can study international politics, run track and do Model UN. Some are easier to get into than NYU, but IMO offer more for your interests, some are harder. My younger son was an IR major at Tufts. Like you he took AP World as a sophomore. He took AP Bio and APUSH as a junior and AP Calc BC, AP Physics C and AP Euro as a senior. That was it for APs. My kid’s transcript was littered with Bs. A B+ in AP World (even though he got a 5 on the exam), one B in math, B’s and a B- in Latin before he bailed, a B in honors Chem, and a B+ in AP Bio, B+'s in English except for senior year when he jumped off the honors track and took an elective and got an A+ for a change. What he did do was have a lot of time outside schoolwork to do some things that colleges found pretty interesting. He wanted a school with a campus, so he didn’t apply to NYU, but I know my niece got into NYU last year with a less than perfect transcript as well.
Please read compmom’s advice above. You are putting too much pressure on yourself. While it’s nice to have goals living for the next goal instead of in the present is a recipe for unhappiness.
@mathmom it is hard to keep track of the present when I’ve always been so future-oriented, like my life is a chess game and I need to plan the next move. I’ve talked to some friends who currently attend NYU from my high school, they didn’t have perfect transcripts either and only took courses they knew they could handle but they were incredibly passionate about certain things. Thank you for the advice!
Do not focus on your grades/gpa. Instead focus on learning as much of the material/skills presented as you can in each class. Live your life now- studying/doing assignments/activities. When you get a less than perfect grade on something figure out what was not yet learned and learn it. If writing skills could be improved talk to the teacher about ways you personally can improve.
But- first be human. Perfection is never required. Be sure to enjoy your HS years as well as preparing yourself for the future. Getting mostly A’s and some B’s is normal for high achieving students, even for the gifted students.
You are growing and maturing. Part of that process is learning about yourself- your strengths, weaknesses, interests, preferences for how you do things… It was good for you to lessen your workload/stress by choosing classes you want instead of just the most difficult.
Most successful people will not have lives without bumps in the road. If you could see the HS (and college) grades of the top intellectuals, scientists… you will find they did not have a perfect record and yet they achieved so much. The elite colleges are NOT filled with people who had a 4.0.
As a side note, you do not have to take calculus at all to get into a good school. Some take AP stats instead, or even another course that is honors or “regular” level.
Basically, colleges want you to meet certain benchmarks in stats and after that it is all about what you can bring to campus to contribute to the mix of interests and talents in your class. In that light, reducing extracurriculars that are interesting in favor of time spent on, say, calculus, is counterproductive.
State schools are more stats and grades-oriented because they are dealing with such large numbers. Private colleges tend to be more “holistic.”
If you really want to think about the future, investigate colleges now, that might meet your needs. Don’t get fixed on any one or even on several schools. Be flexible!
I understand your post was situational and reflected a moment when you are actually up and down, but anytime a student writes that he feels stupid, I would suggest counseling : ) Hold your head up, B’s or not, and be yourself!
