<p>I don't know why, but lately I've been slacking on my grades. I have about 5 B/B+'s this year :(. One of them is in an AP class. The others are all core classes. </p>
<p>I did very good my freshman year getting almost all A's. I don't know why my grades are bad this year. Probably because I thought it was going to be easy. I basically hit a wall my sophomore year of high school and didn't realize it until now.</p>
<p>I just feel like crap now. I want to get into University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, or JMU at least. My parents are divorced and I don't have many EC's atm. I watch my little brother 24/7 since my mom works most of the time. I run outside of school and i might join some more volunteering clubs at school.</p>
<p>Will those B's sophomore year really hurt my chances of getting into a good college? If I really try during my junior year and come out with mostly A's like I did freshman year will I have a good chance again? </p>
<p>Focus on raising your GPA as much as you can during your junior. Heck, even try taking extra classes if you think it will help raise your GPA. I would also try to score highly on your standardized tests next year.</p>
<p>Still, many colleges look at an application holistically, so if you articulate your situation well, they will understand that you can indeed bring uniqueness and intellectual vitality to their campus.</p>
<p>You didn’t hit a wall or ceiling.
You just need to study more.
Now with Junior year, you need to start studying/preparing for the SAT. Use the summer to do some prep. Study for the PSAT as if it counts.
So, Junior year is much more demanding than sophomore year.</p>
<p>I was thinking of doing triathlon this summer, and possibly participating in some triathlon races next year. Does that count as an EC?</p>
<p>Honestly, I really can’t do that many EC’s at school. One, I’m pretty lazy. Not going to lie or try to sugar coat that. I don’t like to do things i don’t like to do. Two, I don’t have any rides after school. There is no activity bus and nobody that can drive me.</p>