Terrible Sophomore Year 2.8 - UCSB Dreams - How Can I Make UCSB?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I really want to go to UCSB.</p>

<p>I am currently a sophomore at a great public school.</p>

<p>Sophomore Year First Semester Grades:</p>

<p>World History Honors: B
Spanish Year 2 Honors: B
Physics Honors*: B
Math Analysis (Pre Calculus): C
English Honors: B</p>

<ul>
<li>= UC Weighted</li>
</ul>

<p>My second semester will have about the same grades, maybe a little better. I will know in two weeks.</p>

<p>I took a rather rigorous course load and got a bout a 3.0 UC GPA. This is what I am planning to take next year.</p>

<p>AP Chemistry*
English Honors*
Statistics
U.S. History
Graphic Design
Virtual Business</p>

<ul>
<li>= UC Weighted</li>
</ul>

<p>This schedule will be probably even easier than my sophomore year. I am taking easy classes to raise my GPA. I'm aiming for a UC GPA of 4.333. That would be all As. It can get me an upward trend and I am pretty sure I can do it. I am going to get tutors and actually try. I am smart, it's just that I didn't try that hard this year.</p>

<p>AP Chem is considered one of the easiest APs at our school.</p>

<p>English Honors is also pretty easy because most of the A and B kids in honors this year are going into AP, which is ridiculously hard.</p>

<p>I had terrible teachers in Spanish, and there is no way I could do a third year.</p>

<p>Our school only offers AP Calc, which is known to be ridiculously hard, and Stats, which is known to be easy. I'm thinking about maybe taking Calc later at Community College.</p>

<p>Everyone in Honors US History told me to either take AP (super hard), or normal (easy), because Honors is just as hard as AP.</p>

<p>With barely studying at the beginning of this year I got a 176 on the PSAT. I can probably raise that a couple hundred points if I study and prepare for it, which I will have time for with an easy schedule. I also want an easy schedule so I can play lots of tennis, I am pretty sure I will make varsity.</p>

<p>JV Tennis 2 Years - I am going to work hard and try to make varsity next year.</p>

<p>70 Hours Community Service
40 of those hours are in another country. so far... maybe more service hours</p>

<p>In State</p>

<p>I graduate in '10.</p>

<p>So, do I have hope for UCSB? Can I get some recommendations and advice for how I could change my schedule or anything that could increase my admissions chances. I still have a year to makeup my suckiness this year. What can I do to make UCSB? Will I at least make SC?</p>

<p>Responses would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>What can I change next year and do next year to make UCSB? Please help me!</p>

2

<p>Find the cure to cancer? Sorry, but you really messed up. You don’t have very good ECs or grades, and the PSAT scores really are not so good. I would find some safties and matches. Why did you mess up Sophmore year?</p>

3

<p>I just didn’t really try or care that much with a combination of taking all hard classes.</p>

4

<p>If I do get a 4.0 next year, or maybe 1-3 Bs, and get like a 1900-2100 SAT would a match / safety be at least UCSC?</p>

5

<p>rmadden15 – Don’t rag on his PSAT scores and other stats. I got a 172 my first try, with no studying. I studied the second time, and got a 214. As for LSkaiWalk, you’ll have to work really hard, but I think you can bounce back from this. If you continue to show an upward trend, colleges like that. Also, find something you’re really passionate about. Then, put all your EC time into that activity. The more unique, the better. :)</p>

6

<p>LSkai- you would be more than safe</p>

7

<p>thanks, more than safe for sc?? what would my chances be for like sdsu business???</p>

<p>more input and suggestions would be nice.</p>

8

<p>bump bump 1223</p>

9

<p>Um, what are the biggest factors when it comes to appying to college without a hook?..if you guessed GPA, Rank, SAT scores, ACT scores, and SAT 2 scores, then you were right. However, to the OP, if you write an amazing essay you might, maybe, possibly, have a chance. But if the only reason you slacked off in school was just because you “did not care”, colleges will think, “Well, if he did not care about easier HS classes, what makes him think that we will want him here not caring about harder classes”, but much more elequently(sp?).</p>

10

<p>Lskai</p>

<p>I sent you a pretty long PM in response to your post (exactly the same as this one) that you posted 2 weeks ago. Now I am not ragging on you, and I put in a lot of time giving you adivce, but don’t play the ‘what-if’ game. If you are wondering why your posts don’t get that much attention it is because you have posted this same exact thread in four different places, twice in the last two weeks, or its because you are planning on miracles to happen. UCSB is not realistically in your range right now. Sure you could get a 2200 on the SAT and a 4.0 next year, with some godsend of an EC, but that is a ‘what if’ scenario. I am surprised you are not planning your grad school and future profession while you’re at it. </p>

<p>It is a little bit early to be posting chance threads, especially more than once. I think you should think more realistic about what your chances of getting what are. I think it would be realistic to get a 4.0W (if the classes were doable) and a 1700ish on your SAT 1 and 550-600 on your Sat 2’s. Start there. Conquer that, then you should be good for UCSC. Then study your butt off for the SAT, get a 1900ish+ and pray for UCSB. </p>

<p>I myself got caught up in how well I could do, and overloaded myself last year with an AP class that was just too hard. Instead of helping my GPA like I was hoping (I swore I would get an A), it backfired leaving me with a C. Come here again to post your stats this time next year, when you have actual results, and then the people at CC and you yourself will know which colleges are within reach and which are not.</p>