Sorry I'm posting a lot of threads on my grades, but I'm really worried. Is this OK?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
1

<p>I'm probably going to have to retake Algebra 2 Honors because I'm failing epically in that class. I keep changing from a D to an F and back, and the final is going to either make or break me. </p>

<p>These are my courses and expected grades, which is the best I can estimate
sophomore year (this year)
Algebra 2 Honors- D
AP Art History- A or A-
AP European History- A
English 2 Honors- A
Spanish 2 Honors- A+
Chemistry- A
P.E.- A+</p>

<p>I'm planning to switch out to regular Algebra 2 second semester and maybe retaking the other semester online or at a local high school.
I'm also planning to take Spanish 3 at a college summer program in order to take AP Language next year.</p>

<p>junior year (next year)
AP English Language and Composition
AP US History
AP Psychology
AP Spanish Language
AP Biology
Pre-Calculus (I'm taking regular because Algebra 2 Honors was an eye-opening experience for me, and taught me honors math is evil)</p>

<p>I know I can get a good grade in all those AP classes because my English and memorization skills are pretty good to me, and because I won't have to worry about honors Pre-Calculus and its hours of homework. I'm hoping that doing well in all of these AP's will balance out my Math grade for the 1st semester of sophomore year. </p>

<p>My SAT scores are above average, being 700 CR, 750 writing, and 430 math. I'm trying to bring that math score up as much as I can, and i have some time since I'm only a sophomore.</p>

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<p>an 1880 sat 1 overall isn’t above average for usc. it’s below average actually. :-/ and a 430 in math is going to hurt severely. however, since you are a sophomore, i definitely recommend doing some serious math studying and strongly considering hiring a math sat tutor. if you don’t improve your math score by much and that’s coupled with a D on your transcript, it could cause some concerns i think. even if you improve your math score, a D on your transcript will probably hurt. maybe not by too much though, if you continue getting straight a’s in your other classes. but how much will that one D drop your gpa and class rank? will your gpa be “fixed” if you retake it? i’m not really sure how that all works…</p>

<p>also just warning you but those ap classes you have lined up for junior year won’t be easy just cuz your english and memorization skills are pretty good. unless you really get feedback from students at your school in those classes and are confident you’ll work as hard as you need to to get a’s (or some b’s, IF your gpa would be “fixed” by retaking algebra), i’d consider dropping one or two. keep in mind that you don’t have to take every ap offered at your school to get into usc. from what i’ve heard at my school, ap bio is supposedly a TON of work (5+ hours of homework a night). from personal experience, ap u.s. history was about 3-4 hours a night. ap english wasn’t as much homework but you have to be a really good writer and really understand literature to get an a. ap psych is supposedly very easy. ap spanish…depends on how good you already are at spanish, but there are a lot of native spanish speakers at my school who said it was hard…:(</p>

<p>now i’m sorry if i sound discouraging but i’m really just trying to give you honest advice, from my point of view. it’ll look really good that you took 2 ap classes sophomore year and got a’s, so you have that angle going for you. writing sat score is good and cr is fine, so i wouldn’t be too worried about that either. but i strongly strongly suggest you get a math tutor and raise that math score to at least a 700. i know that might be hard. believe me, i know! i got a 600 in math, studied, retook it and got a 520…:frowning: math sat is just really hard for some people, just like cr and writing are really hard for others. you know, even raising your math to a 600 would put you within range of usc. so aim for as high as you can get, obviously, but to feel comfortable, i’d try to at least get a 600 if i were you. that’d put you at 2050, which is right within range for usc. </p>

<p>and please think long and hard about the ap classes you’re taking junior year. you don’t want to overwhelm yourself and end up with less-than-desirable grades. straight a’s while taking even 2 ap classes + the rest honors looks better than a mish-mash of a’s, b’s, and c’s while trying to tackle 5 ap classes and pre-cal. </p>

<p>besides, you always have senior year to take some of those ap’s, right? unless you have more planned for senior year. but really, consider all your options before diving in. it’s entirely possible that you can take 5 ap’s and pre-cal and get straight a’s, it’s very possible. i’ve just seen a lot of kids in my own experience who have taken that many and have to stay up all-night every night trying to complete hw and still not pulling off a’s, so i really suggest researching all those classes and deciding which are right for you.</p>

<p>sorry for the long post, but i wanted to give you advice, and i hope it helped. :slight_smile: good luck!!!</p>

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<p>I’m trying to get 800 for the CR and Writing, and I’m hiring a math SAT tutor in a few months (: I’m hoping to break 2100. My rank right now is like 28ish out of 450, and it might drop me 10 people because a LOT of smart and high-ranking students are failing honors and even regular precalc this year in my grade. Math at my school is really tough and the teachers grade hard as heck</p>

<p>I’m planning to take these senior year:
AP English 4
AP Gov/Econ
AP Stats
AP Calc
AP Bio (if I don’t end up taking physio honors junior year)</p>

4

<p>cr is a kinda unpredictable section, so i wouldn’t bet on getting an 800. it’s definitely possible, of course, but it really depends on the passages you get and everything. it’s probably the hardest section to actually “study” for, but you should still go for it. but if i were you i’d really focus more on the math, so it’s good to hear that you are indeed hiring a math tutor. :smiley: </p>

<p>so will your gpa be “fixed” by retaking the algebra or is it always gonna show up as a D on your transcript and in your gpa? </p>

<p>why are you taking both ap stats and ap calc senior year? wait…why are you taking ap math at all?? i thought you said you weren’t going to take anything above normal math anymore after your experience with honors algebra 2. :-/</p>

5

<p>To be blunt, if the D doesn’t hurt you, the 430 will so fix both asap. Remember that improvement looks good.</p>

6

<p>I’m taking AP Calc and AP stats because my counselor recommends taking calc for getting into USC
I’m so scared that this stupid class is going to hurt me in the long run</p>

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<p>^If you can’t get a B or better in Honors Algebra II, AP Calc is going to be hell. So is AP Stats, actually. Those classes are often hell even for the kids that did get B’s or A’s in Honors math classes in the past. I’d seriously reconsider taking those. An F in those classes would look much worse than not taking them at all, and you don’t need Calc to get into USC. You certainly don’t need Stats. And if you really do want to take Calc or Stats, you could take it at a community college.</p>