Worried about college and I'm only a freshman? ((PLEASE ANSWER!!!))

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m super worried about college and I’m only a freshman. It’s been getting to the point were I’m worrying my friend and my parents. UCLA is my dream college and that’s highly selective, so I don’t know how I’m going to accomplish that. I am very worried. I did the math, and the only possible way for me to have at least a 3.95 is to get straight A’s for the rest of my high school career!!!

My top choices for colleges are:

UCLA
Harvard
Yale
Brown
NYU
U of M
USC

My gpa is only a 3.59 un-weighted and I’m not in any honors classes, although next year I am hoping to take honors english, honors/AP history, and honors biology.

I have not taken the PSAT’s, but I obviously hope to do very well on them.

My grades for 1st semester are the following

English - A
Art - B+
Geography- A-
Spanish- A-
Science- B
Health- A-
Algebra- A-

My goal for next semester is to get straight A’s, obviously, which will probably be easy. I’m going to try my hardest to get the best grades as possible. So, I was just wondering if my grades were bad enough that all of my choices for colleges would be ruled out? I have been looking forward and hoping to go to UCLA ever since the beginning of 7th grade, so it is very important to me.

As for extra curricular, I’m only in volleyball and softball this year, as I don’t really know what else there is to be in. I might be in speech next year, though. Please suggest more extra curricular or even community service that I could do!!

If any of you have any suggestions as to how my chances for getting into one of these colleges to raise, please tell me. Also, could you please tell me which college out of these would be the best choice? Or suggest more colleges? I refuse to go to a small school, which is weird, but it’s just a preference.

2

Calmmmmm down you’re only a freshman. Just study hard and enjoy your life. You dont need a 3.9 to get into ucla.

Heck i had a 3.6 uw and i got in. College won’t define the person you are. Its good to have dreams but dont be obsessed over it.

3

Why’s that, if you’re in the easier non-honors classes now?

4

Focus on your GPA before you join a bunch of new ECs. If you can’t get a 3.9 in freshman/honors courses, it will be difficult to get 4.0 in more challenging classes. What makes you think you can get straight As for the rest of high school?

5

You’re doing this backwards. You are choosing colleges and trying to force yourself into someone who would fit. What you should be doing is concentrating on school by taking the most rigorous program that you can handle, with classes that you think are interesting and exciting, participating in activities that you are enthusiastic about, and enjoying life. Then take your standardized tests your Jr year. Once you have your stats, and you are a Jr, THEN choose schools that you might be interested in and that you can get into. Visit a few to make sure you get a good vibe, and go from there.

Also stay away from this website. It will only stress you out at this stage.

6

[url=<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways%5DThis%5B/url”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]This[/url] is from MIT, but it applies to most of the super-selective colleges that you are interested in. Read it, re-read it, believe it. Honestly.

7

@bodangles it will probably be easier for me next semester as I’m taking FACS, Ind. tech, and gym with no geography or art. Also, I plan to try harder to get homework in on time and to study a little more for test

8

@Studious99 i dont think that I can get straight A’s for the rest of high school, Im just saying that thats the only way that I’ll get a 3.9 gpa by the end of high school

9

@LKnomad I’m stressing out at this stage because it HELPs me get better grades, not the other way around. In 8th grade I had straight C’s because I didnt care one bit. Now I do, and I almost have straight A-'s.

10

@collegemom3717 i dont usually listen to things that say that colleges dont really accept based on your intellegence level or whatever considering that they usually actually do

11

Oh jeez freshman chill.

12

It sounds like you are developing better study habits (turn work in on time, study more for tests). Keep doing what you’re doing and as your GPA goes up, then you can think about adding other activities. At the end of the day, if you don’t have a strong GPA and good test scores, all of the ECs and volunteering in the world will not compensate.

Add outside activities only in so far as you have time for them and you enjoy them.

And try to relax - you have 3.5 years ahead of you to achieve your goals.

13
  1. Assuming that you read the whole article, you clearly didn't get the point. Number one was good grades (which, as you know, is not a direct correlate with 'your intelligence level').
  2. If you believe that colleges "usually actually do" "accept based on your intelligence level" then you don't need suggestions on raising your chances of being accepted- because you either have the "intelligence level" required or you don't.
  3. If you ask for help, being dismissive and arrogant ("i don't usually listen to things" like that) in a public forum just turns people off from wanting to help. The article was written by an person on MIT's admissions committee (he also wrote [url=http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/there_is_no_formula]this[/url] blogpost about how there is no formula for getting into super-selective schools)
14

@collegemom3717 i wasnt in any way trying to be arrogent. that was not my intention in any way, i assure you. i apologize for coming of like that. all i was getting at was that i dont know how that article would help me get into selective schools. maybe you could explain it better in a summary?

15

There is a big difference between stressing out and not caring. I have seen many kids crash and burn in high school because they put too much stress on themselves to be perfect. The classes get harder. For my son 9th grade was very easy, but then little by little, class by class, he found the courses getting significantly harder. If you are stressed out now, you have no idea what is coming. Junior year is the worst!

I always told my kids to do the best they could, because the better they did, the more choices they would have later on. You can only do the best you can. When you are older, then you will see what schools you will match with. Nothing more you can do, really. Just try hard, learn to study well, and do things you enjoy.

16

No one should have to summarize the article for you. If you “don’t know how that article is going to help get me into selective schools” then you missed the whole point of it.

Perhaps you should look at the Results threads of the schools on your list and see what types of grades, test scores and activities kids did who applied to those schools. You’ll find that at the most selective schools, the accepted kids all had top grades and test scores and deep involvement in their ECs. You’ll also see that some kids with equal or even better grades, test scores and ECs were deferred, rejected or waitlisted so there are no secret formulas or a defined roadmap to success that you can follow.

As the article says, get top academics, be a good person, and do something(s) you enjoy doing with great commitment and passion and perhaps you will get accepted to one of the top schools on your list. If not, you’re still in great shape to be a happy and successful person which is what you ultimately should be striving for. (I guess I just summarized the article, my bad.)

17

You aren’t going to get into any of those schools without at LEAST honors courses (although honors are basically the same as regular, so AICE/IB/DE are what counts). Even a 4.0 with all regular courses means nothing.

18

@SlightlyGeneric im going to take all honors bext year

19

Lower your expectations, worry less, and work a little more. If you are unable to get straight As in regular classes, I recommend you not do so many honors. Colleges would prefer a higher GPA with regular classes than a lower GPA with more honors classes and most unweight your GPA anyway. College is really important, I get that, but driving yourself to the point of anxiety level stress won’t get you to UCLA or anywhere else. Focus on doing the best you can in high school for yourself, and less for a college.

20

don’t worry too much…it’s definitely good to proactive freshman year, but don’t burn out. It’s so easy to plunge straight into everything college related and forget the bigger picture and task at hand: discovering your passions while developing yourself and your academic aptitude. Some people have a rough freshman year (C’s, low courses) but with a good upward trend, great ECs soph year and forward, they can still get into their dream schools.

My advice:
-focus on your current classes. gets A’s THIS YEAR instead of “theoretical A’s” for next year.
-when scheduling comes around, challenge yourself. go above and beyond what everyone else is doing, especially if you want to go to a school like UCLA (I think I saw Harvard on your list too?!). You gotta stand out and make your GC select the “most rigorous” courseload!

-try out a bunch of ECs this year to find what you want to stick with. Don’t be afriad to step out of your comfort zone and join a club you normally wouldn’t…you’ll meet new friends and maybe discover a new interest! I discovered what I want to major in my volunteering at a hospital…I thought I would read books to patients but instead I read medical records!

Good luck.