<p>Ok, I'm pretty new here, But I basically am worried sick about this. I'm a freshmen in high school but I'm so worried I can't even sleep about this. the new semester started new last week so I'm giving it my ALL this semester.
I started first semester freshmen year HORRIBLY. Like.. Horrible, see for yourself: (Semester grades, Btw)</p>
<p>1st Period(N/A No one takes 1-7 classes freshmen year, only 2-7, which is me, or 1-6. Equal to 6 classes)
P.E.: B
English: C
AVID: F
Spanish For Spanish Speakers lvl3: F
Geography: D (Passed... BARELY.. sweet jesus that was a hard class)
Alg. 1: F
To explain why I obtained 3 F's in 3 classes:
Avid was a hard class, My teacher didn't make it any better, as a matter of fact, this is her FIRST YEAR teaching avid, and that she has had NO PAST EXPERIENCE teaching avid. other than she has seen her husband teach it and she thinks she can do it too. All she does is make us fill out TONS (If I could show you all the papers in my backpack, 75% would be all avid stuff) of papers. And makes us write notes about things that don't even make proper sense (we basically had to take notes about the movie: Planes and Monsters Univ. and we had to write an essay about the movies... seriously..??) I think it's an easy class, considering all the simple things she makes us do, so I shouldn't complain. I was just lazy 1st semester. that's all
Spanish was a different story. I speak Spanish, Mexican(No accent) spanish. and my teacher speaks spanish with a spanish (from spain) accent. She's hard to understand. Seriously. You would understand if you took my class.
Algebra was basically me thinking I would never pass that class because I hate math and dicouraging myself and getting F's for tests and not turning in Homework. That was me. and after I found out I started a new semester with fresh start, I beat all that nonsense out of me. And I'm turning in all my homework and studying hard for tests.
All I want to know is, is it possible for me to (once I can apply in the future, of course) get in to a UC school (really hoping San Diego or LA.) or a CSU school (Long Beach, San Diego, San Marcos, looking at others) in the future with this small blemish I made first semester freshmen year. I would also like advice on what to do right now and what to do in order to get to a CSU/UC school (like should I take AP or Honors Classes in the future, etc.). I know I just started freshmen year and stuff, but this worries me, and I feel like I should do something about it now before it's too late.</p>
<p>Well - the good news is your freshman grades are largely ignored by CA public schools. So- you haven’t technically ruled yourself out of any of the schools you list. You are going to need to take some drastic actions to change your course though. UCSD and UCLA are going to take straigh As from here on out. SDSU will look for solid test scores and a GPA in the very high 3s… (think 3.8-3.9). Long Beach and San Marcos, think 3.5. LA is lower but, you still need a ‘C’ or better in all your college prep classes.
Re-take or make-up the courses you can. Hopefully, you have a different schedule this semeter or, it doesn’t sound like your grades will change much. Honestly, it doesn’t sound like you need harder (honors) courses. In fact, see if you can drop back a few levels in Spanish - maybe even take Sp1 as an easy A. If you need a more foundational math course - take it. </p>
<p>Now the hard part - you need to take some ownership and make some changes. As an incoming freshman, you don’t really know what to expect - now you do. Talk to your friends and avoid surprise ‘hard’ classes. Be sure you have a mix of courses that will allow you to achieve the GPA you need. You are going to need to pass some math and ace a few english classes. Take advantage of the resources available on-line and at school. Khan accademy is AWESOME… check it out. Most schools have student tutors - get one in any class you think you’ll get a C or worse… and not at the last minute. Work with them all semester if you can. </p>
<p>Another tough concept for kids your age - UCLA isn’t for everyone. (me included) UCLA targets the top 2-3% of high school students in the world. (UCSD isn’t far behind). Not everyone can or should go there. It is a great aspiration for a high school freshman but, don’t get discouraged if you aren’t tracking that way. 98% of high schoolers aren’t. CSUs like Long Beach, Channel Island, Chico, Sonoma and others offer great educations and are much more accessable. </p>
<p>Don’t get discouraged. Get inspired and make a change.</p>
<p>The good news is if you take the D and Fs over in UC approved online courses over the summer, and get As those will replace those grades. Mind you, you don’t want to keep getting those grades, however, as another poster pointed out, while UCs look at everything, when they calculate your gpa they look at grades 10-11, generally.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I suspect you will HAVE to take those over to move to the next grade, won’t you? Or does the second semester validate the first in some of those courses? I know language often works that way.</p>
<p>I would not jump to APs right away if I were you, I would get a solid semester of good grades in regular classes and move ahead a couple of classes at a time. You do need to challenge yourself over your four years, but your first year you need to figure out how to do well in school.</p>
<p>@NCalRent I’m actually fluent at spanish. the problem is my teacher. And she’s the only one who teaches Spanish for Spanish Speakers Level 3. I know all my stuff. as a matter of fact I might as well take AP 5-6 Spanish next year, I don’t have a problem with the class. It’s the Teacher. You would understand if you speak spanish the traditional way, then take a class with someone with a Spanish accent. It’s hard. Seriously.</p>
<p>@Catria What do you mean they don’t take Freshmen year into account? From what I see If I don’t get my act together I won’t have a chance to go to those schools. and I really wanna go there.</p>
<p>@collegevetting Thanks for the advice. And as for your suspicions, yes, From what I know the second semester usually is more important and first semester doesn’t really mean anything in HIGHSCHOOL… if I wanna go to a university that won’t help me much :/</p>
<p>Here is how to calculate your grade point average for the CSU system. Again note the reference to grades ‘after your 9th grade’: <a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU;
When I was a kid, 9th grade was junior high school, and I think that is how it was throughout California. That may explain how state universities look at this.</p>
<p>:/ I’m a freshmen in highschool… haha… I really don’t have anything to calculate YET other than my horrible first semester which I burnt the report card in a bonfire and threw wisdom grass at it for future luck xD</p>
<p>What I’m saying is that according to their current standards, unless they change them by the time you apply, they don’t use your freshman year grades calculating your gpa when you apply to the UCs or CSUs, although eyeballing everything goes into the holistic review.</p>
<p>Even though you’re taking Algebra 1 as a freshman—and failed it—you should retake it. It’s a graduation requirement for most schools, and if I remember correctly the CSUs are going to want to see that you passed it. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>I’d suggest you take a quick look in the mirror… Your grades aren’t your teacher’s fault. You earned them. Fluent or not, you weren’t up to the course’s standards. Your GPA is something like 1.2 - Spanish wasn’t your only challenge.</p>
<p>There’s a famous saying that goes - “When you find yourself in a deep hole - the first thing to do is … Stop digging.”</p>
<p>I think you are taking classes that are over your head. As long as you continue - you’ll get similar marks.</p>
<p>Get real with your schedule, bust your but and you’ve got a shot at the schools you want to attend.</p>