<p>THANK YOU FOR THE LINKS!!! Yeah, I’m going to dedicate 10th grade and the summer to my academics (trying to take extra classes online to make up for other terrible grades and focusing on maintaining a 4.0 this year).</p>
<p>I just stumbled upon this thread and I want to say that it is the most heartwarming thing! You all are amazing (parents), and OP you are amazing for coming in with a tough situation, listening to sound advice and taking action. Great job!!</p>
<p>If anyone else wants to know why parents spend time on CC we should just send them here.</p>
<p>DoILikeCats - Great news! I am happy you let us know your course. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Great advice from @Movemetoo on taking classes you are likely to do well in. He/she is spot on - at less selective colleges, an A in Earth Science beats a C in AP Chemistry.</p>
<p>Actually, prepare for the PSAT as if it were the “'real” SAT: scoring high leads to being named National Merit Finalist and that status grants you a choice of full tuition or full rides at several good universities (and in some cases, special perks like Honors College, Honors Housing, etc). :)</p>
<p>Your plan is not good at all. If your home life is that bad, you should speak to someone at school to get help. If you drop out, you have zero chance at schools like Yale. You probably cannot even go to a technical school with a degree. No one takes a drop out seriously. If you are planning to live at home anyway during this time, then dropping out is not just because you do not like your home life. If it were actually about your home life, you would leave home. Since you are staying home anyway, then it is just about school.</p>
<p>I definitely will! I actually get 230 on practice PSAT tests (because there’s no essay). But I’ll try to get it up to 240 because I’d enjoy getting a perfect score. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about perfect scores. Try to look up what number qualifies you for NMF in your State (it depends on the state). Then practice (using number2.com for instance) until you can get to that number “easily”.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m wondering about dropping out again. I found a lot of traumatizing porn on my dad’s USB and I’m getting really worried about my personal safety. I value that over my goals. Maybe I should tell a teacher but I don’t think anyone would care much nor would I blame them. I’m very quiet in class even though I do work hard. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Edit: NVM, I’ll end up screwing up my life if I did that. I guess I’ll just ignore it and try to numb my anxiety with schoolwork and other activities. </p>
<p>People care about kids in bad situations despite grades and attitude. It’s smart to speak up right now and worry about damage control of grades and whatnot later. They’re important but if you recognize that you’re in immediate danger, something needs to be done.
Would you be willing and able to go to stay with a friend or family members? If that’s not possible (or even if it is), I would suggest speaking up to your school counselors who are trained for that kind of stuff. If they suck, I would say going straight to the authorities and telling them how you don’t feel safe is the next step. But that may get CPS involved, which could get you placed into foster care and that’s an option I personally consider to be a mess.</p>
<p>IDK, my situation really wasn’t that bad. My dad just had A LOT of weird porn on his USB that he supposedly uses for taxes. Both my parents are emotionally immature and they don’t trust me at all. I’ll be relieved when I move out of this house and city. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t be able to nor would anyone let me, I think. I only have one and a half years left until I turn 18 so I’m just going to focus on getting a job, my driver’s license, and some money. </p>
<p>I hope you’ve looked over the financial aid info available here and on the sites of colleges that may interest you. It certainly sounds like you have the potential to score well enough to win a large scholarship. I strongly suggest that you prep for the PSAT and SAT with the aim of winning a full ride. I think it is likely to be a better investment in your future than any minimum wage job you could work at over the coming months.</p>
@DoILikeCats I think the military is a good idea, especially for someone in your situation - intelligent, but not so much support from home. Good luck.