Ugh, I feel like I screwed up my chances to a good college and my school isn't helping

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

Can someone please give me some advice. I’d really appreciate it.

I go to a private school, most students there are very intelligent. well in middle school, 8th grade, all the “average/less smart kids” took Algebra 1, that was the lowest, but still average, math track at the time.

8th grade year I was just so lazy, I did really bad in school. I had awful work ethic and I was lazy and I completely regret it. After 8th grade year I was very excited to step it up. I’d say in 8th grade my GPA would have been a 2.4-2.5. I did bad. I wanted to do a turn around freshman year.

Well turns out they had some students who did poor in Algebra 1, the average class, redo it freshman year so they would be even more behind. So here I was in freshman year, redoing algebra 1. And I had to redo Spanish 1 since I did bad. I’d say in alg 1 in 8th grade I got an average of a B- or C+. I completely understand the decision to make me redo. But I feel so self conscious now.

In freshman year I stepped up, not great, but better then my middle school years. I started hs my GPA to a 3.1, not great but much improved from middle school.

Here I am a sophomore taking geometry, with freshman all in my math class with only one other kid in my math class from my grade. I feel completely stupid and it will look terrible on a transcript. I want out.

During freshman year summer I talked about with my math teacher working on geometry during summer, but when summer can I worked on geometry and about halfway through I realized there was no way I had enough time to do 2 semesters worth of geometry in 2 months, so I ended up stopping because I did not feel I was ready for the placement test.

Now I don’t want to give up, so I talked with my Head of Schedules about doubling up in math to keep me back on track with my grade and graduate in Calc. So I talk to her and immediately she gives attitude, she’s not a nice person. She says “You want to double up with?” I tell her “geometry and alg 2”, thinking it be okay because they’re too different courses from what I heard. Then she says “No, nobody has ever done that before. If you want talk to the math department”. But it’s awkward because last year I talked to the head math department and he really sounded against it last year when I talked about it. Teachers are really being no help for me. What should I do?

I want to raise my gpa this year to a 3.5 or 3.6 but will my low math destroy me? I obviously don’t want to go to an ivy league but my dream school was ucsb, which obviously requires a 3.4 and I hope to raise mine to, but will my lower spanish class and math screw me? what should i do? i know college is very competitive, and as far as I see right now I’m one of the lowest in the grade :frowning:

2

Being in grade level math will not affect your applications. Nationwide, the majority of students do not take calculus. You are not behind; you just aren’t ahead. Don’t worry about it.

Same applies to foreign language. Colleges want you to reach level 3-4 of foreign language, which you will do.

3

Yeah but won’t my college counselor basically show the college that I am behind in 2 classes than my average grade class which will basically screw me over.

:frowning: ugh

4

No

5

If you can finish a foreign language at the third level, colleges will look at that favorably since they only “require” 2.
In math, you are at grade level. I don’t know what you wanted us to say, but I think the only thing you CAN do is talk to the Math Department Head and tell him you have changed and want to do well, but you NEED to follow through.

Also I would doubt you are last in the class. Ask your GC for class rank, or average class GPA.

6

My school is very small, private school with about 100 students a grade. I’d say I’m bottom 10 for last.

There are only 4 students in the same math as me from my grade. Absolutely embarrassing. As for GPA, I know about 15 students in my grade who had lower GPAs then me but most of them were in higher Spanish and math classes so it doesn’t really count.

I’m just wondering, do I have chances at any good colleges considering that I’m in lower math classes? what about a school like ucsb with 30% acceptance rate? this year I wanted to raise my gpa to a 3.6, but if I’m going to put in that work, is there even a point to it all if I am doomed from the start for my low math class?

7

@guineagirl96 Wouldn’t it affect his strength of schedule?

8

Not really. What year you take which math course and when you take foreign language doesn’t matter. It’s the level reached that matters for foreign language and the most colleges expect is four years, which the OP has to problem with.

Math track is also not something that affects course rigor. What matters is whether the courses you take are honors or regular, not the year you took them.

Again, your math class is normal. It is not low. Your math track will not affect your admissions. Do not worry about this. Keep your grades up and you will be fine for admissions.

9

I agree with guineagirl96. Algebra 1 is the basic starting math course for most freshmen (even though some people on CC will be taking, like, precalc as freshmen sometimes lol). I don’t think it should have much of an effect on college. However, talking to the math department can’t hurt if you want to take calc senior year, in my opinion. I doubled up on geometry and algebra 2 my sophomore year, and it was totally manageable. Actually, almost all the honors students who took algebra 1 freshman year doubled up because my school strongly encouraged it. But if they don’t let you, it’s not a big deal.

10

Could you go to a public instead of a private school that may be more resonable?

11

Switching schools will be lots of work. You’d think private schools would give better education but at this point I’m so angry with all this I feel like I’d be much better off at a public school. My gpa is like a 3.4, its not good but i dont think its that bad for me to be in all these lower classes. I can understand Spanish but Math I want to move up so bad. And I can do it too.

I doubt my parents will let me transfer. this sucks so much., i dont really know what to do. i guess ill just go to a bad college / community college and all my goals are gone because of middle school.

12

Hi, I’ve made threads about this in the past because this really bothers me, but some new stuff came up.

I’ll try to make this quick.

I go to a private school.

8th grade I did poorly in Spanish 1 and Alg 1 which I completely regret because I didn’t realize it would affect my HS so much, got about a B- in Alg 1 and Spanish.

Had to redo both. Got put behind my grade class with only a couple students. Very embarrassing.

Tried to do summer school for geometry on my own, but too much material and wasn’t ready for placement test.

Now a 10th grader, talked to my College Counselors about doubling up Geometry and Alg 2. After a LONG process and lots of work for myself since apparently no student had done it before, after lots of waiting I was just told “no” by head of math.

College Counselors really wanted me to double up since I could possibly get behind in Physics in 11th grade too! since I won’t have Alg 2 by Junior year

It’s ridiculous. I understand it’s my own fault I did bad 8th grade, but I really feel like being all these low classes I might as well be in the grade below. It’s terrible. I also feel like my high school is doing absolutely nothing to help me. I want to double up and the process was so difficult, they were vague and gave no information. For learning over the summer, all they say is “learn this”, no recommendations of who can help me learn it or anything.

I don’t know what to do. I’m going to look terrible on applications all because of 8th grade.