Stressful Sophomore Year

Hello! I’m currently a sophomore in high school and I did fairly well my freshman year. I had gotten high B’s and A’s! I was excited upon starting sophomore year, feeling motivated to do better and become a better student. That mindset had changed quickly after 3 marking periods of horrible grades. I have been getting C’s and had even failed a class for the first time in my academic career. I’m very scared and fearful for the future and if anyone has tips on how to improve quickly and earn grades of 93+ please let me know! Also, will low grades on my transcript greatly effect my chances on a selective college? I wanted to go to UC’s, NYU, UT Austin, and more, but I feel that I had ruined my chances. Please respond! Thank you so much!

I forgot to include that I am at risk of 2 C’s on my transcript and I’m very scared haha

What is causing your horrible grades?

If you are having personal issues outside of school, let your counselor know and hopefully he/she will take this into consideration and lessen your workload to suit your situation.
If you do not understand the material, ask help from teachers and meet with them before, after, or during school. If this is not possible, then ask help from other people in your grade as well as upperclassmen who have taken the class already.
If you are struggling with focus and motivation, try your best to not get distracted by social media, youtube, and other time-wasting websites. Get a decent amount of sleep, preferably over 7 hours a night.

Well, maybe you need to rethink some of your list of schools because even if you received perfect grades, your family not not be able to afford those schools.
If you don’t live in California, the UCs are $60k per year.

NYU is known for lousy financial aid. Your costs would be $72k per year.
The public Texas schools prioritize Texas residents, so if you aren’t a resident, your chances are minimal.

Quit putting pressure on yourself to get into just those schools. Get some rest. Form a study group. Use Khan and YouTube for study help.