Hi, I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this since it’s my first discussion on this forum. Sorry if I placed it wrong. Anyway, I’m a freshman in high school and I’ve been through a couple of competitive schools. They were public schools, but their students were absolutely obsessed with getting excellent GPAs and winning national research awards.
I’m getting a bit concerned about college. I have my sights set on Harvard premed, although that is likely to change in the future. I’ve struggled with depression since the beginning of this school year and as a result, my grades have dropped. I have five A’s and one B in my classes (my school does not differentiate between A’s and A minuses). The B is in math. I take algebra 2 honors, 2 years above grade level, and even though I have a tutor, it’s very difficult, and I feel horrible after getting my worst grade EVER on a math test today (C-). I take all honors classes.
I do a lot of extracurriculars like piano and a varsity equestrian team. I love writing and I’ve gotten recognition for it, and I’ve won some awards for scientific research. But I feel like it’s not enough, and no matter how hard I work, I’m always going to be getting mediocre grades in math, which colleges will hate, even if the classes are really tough. I’ve been having a hard time getting work done lately and I feel like my grades are slipping, and I’m trying to get a handle on myself this Thanksgiving break, to fix this.
Anyway, what do you think my chances are for getting into a prestigious college with an excellent medical program? What if I end up with B’s throughout math? What should I do to boost my chances? Any advice is appreciated
Also, I realize that I probably seem really overreactive and overly anxious. It’s probably a byproduct of the schools I’ve gone to. But I’ve grown up with really smart kids who somehow seem to get perfect grades with half the work I put in, and it scares me. The only things I’m really, amazingly good at are writing, diplomacy, MUN etc. I’m trying to develop those talents. I want to work in human rights or medical sciences.
First, take a deep breath and calm down There’s a lot more to life than getting into the most prestigious college out there. Enjoy high school before things get even more hectic haha Freshman year is a chance to explore and figure out what you want to do later in your life. Usually, colleges won’t hold much against you for getting B’s (or even a few of them) during your freshman year because they realize you’re still in the process of transitioning from middle school. I’ve also had quite a rough start my freshman/sophomore year. I actually took AP Calculus in the latter year and like you, I’m not as good at math as I would like. Don’t worry about it! Try your hardest and utilize the resources that you have. Heck, I even got a 2 on the exam but studied extremely hard junior year to retake and ended up with a 5 for both BC and AB subscore LOL (don’t ask how that happened) (just FYI almost all colleges ask for you to self report your scores so they won’t see the 2 from my previous exam until after I matriculate). From the college’s perspective, they’ll have many opportunities to see you “redeem” yourself such as if you got a B but did well on a certain math AP exam or if there’s a increasing trend in your transcript, etc.
There’s no need to find ways to boost your chances. Just be yourself and pursue what you love. In the end, you’ll find somewhere that fits you as a person and can cater to your medical aspirations. Test scores and grades can only matter so much. At the end of the day, it’s what you’ve taken away as an individual and how that’s impacted you.
Good luck!
