<p>Okay, so I'm a junior in high school looking at colleges yada yada yada. I'm realizing that I kind of screwed myself over with my freshman year.</p>
<p>Everyone in my grade expects me to easily be top five in the class, but I'm not. I'm moving up, but I'm only in the top 10%. </p>
<p>Apparently my freshman year I really didn't try all that hard, and have mostly b's. Since then, I have the most AP's of any kid in my grade, and my GPA is skyrocketing. Unfortunately, the 3.33 and 3.57 UW GPA's of semester 1 and two of freshman year are holding me back (3.78 and 3.84 weighted).</p>
<p>Is that really going to mess me up? All the people above me in class rank are getting pulled up by their freshman year and their gpa is only going down, but mine just keeps going up. Without freshman year, I'd be number one or two in the class.</p>
<p>I expect SAT scores in the 2300's, and I have good extracurricular, and a quality hook (neck tumor in third grade, learning experience, etc). But seriously, is that one year going to eliminate me from all these colleges i've been looking at? These include MIT, Berkeley, Cornell.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about it too much. First of all, you can't do anything about it. What's done is done. Secondly, colleges like to see an upward trend in grades, which you have. Thirdly, freshman year isn't considered a very significant year. Some colleges (Princeton I believe) don't even care about your freshman grades. True, your rank might be affected by it, but I would just keep trucking. Lastly, if you're really worried about it, you could attach a statement with your application explaining your freshman grades. After all, a B+ or higher average isn't even that bad.</p>
<p>To answer your question simply: No, your freshman year will not keep you out of any college. Other factors might though.</p>
<p>I'm thinking you're unclear on what a hook is if you think a neck tumor in third grade is one. While it must have been truly awful and I'm sorry you had to go through it, I would seriously advise against focusing on something that happened when you were eight. I worked in admissions for just a couple of years long ago but one of my clear memories is the piles of essays about how an illness in childhood defined the applicant. Everyone became very hardened to these stories and the applicant wasted the opportunity to tell us how he could contribute to the campus.</p>
<p>While at the very top colleges you can't get away from the fact that they want very, very high class ranks, I think many very good colleges will be able to overlook your freshmen year. And Berkeley does not count freshmen year.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley doesn't even look at freshman year, so you should definitely be solid there. I am in the exact same boat as you: I got a 3.25 my freshman year, and all my other years I did much better. I am applying to Berkeley right now, and if they looked at freshman year I would have no chance. But since they don't, I have a solid shot.
Hope this helps.</p>
<p>My freshman year was worse, believe me. I should be graduating in the top five, as well, but I've hardly broken into the top half. I had a 78 average freshman year, and I've worked my butt off to get it to an 88 senior year. I know better than a lot of people that it sucks not to be able to get into the ones you know that you should be in and fit in with rather than going to a school with people you don't click with -- for me, I mourned for my chances at Swarthmore, Obie and Yale -- but you can still get into a good college. Colleges like an upward trend, I promise. You'll be fine. Work harder during undergrad and remember to HAVE FUN during your first four years, and not waste time thinking of woulda-coulda-shouldas. Work in high school, work harder in college, and you might be able to get into MIT or Berkeley for grad school.</p>
<p>Well, what types of colleges? What I'm hopeful for is still the same college I would apply to anyways (probably going to take Georgia Tech as a safety), especially Berkeley. I reeeeally want to go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>What makes you expect at 2300 on SAT ? Have you taken the PSAT? What are your EC's looking like? Have you calculated your UC GPA? Are you in state? A 2150+ SAT, a 4.2 or so UC GPA, with Ok SAT II's and 5 or so good EC's with some leadership , assuming in state, should give you a good shot at Berkeley. If not in state, with all of thr above, why do you want to pay 05 for Berlet? You could probably get money to go elsewhere,</p>
<p>^ I got a 2130 PSAT, but I feel as though I messed up (630 on the writing...something went wrong there, I do much better on practice tests). Also, writing essays has always been easy for me, so I should do fine on the writing. 800 Math is almost expected, high 700's CR (been doing well on practice tests and have plenty to go, got a 750 on the PSAT's). </p>
<p>I am not in state as I said.</p>
<p>I dont know what you mean by "pay 05 for Berlet".</p>
<p>I have a bunch of EC's:
4 years of lacrosse
2 years of mock trial both attorneys
3 years of Young Moderates club (founding/original member)
three years of Spanish Club (founding/original member)
seven years band (section leader for all four of high school and I play bass clarinet)
founder of the Think Tank Club (two years)
youth ministry at my church (two years)
church basketball team (two years)
play bass guitar and take lessons (six years)
in a band that will soon play gigs (two years)
Public Relations committee (two years)
Prom Committee (two years)
Sports Club
Around 360 hours as a counselor in training for a day camp, CIT of the year award</p>
<p>These years are the stats I will have when applying.</p>
<p>Oops! I'm on a tablet. I meant pay out of state for Berkeley.</p>
<p>Sorry. I didn't see the part about you being out of state. Where is that? I also don't see a UC GPA. Am I missing that too? If you are out of state, I'm not sure how to calculate it, but only sophomore and junior year is included, "a-*g" requirements, and extra credit for up to about 8 semesters of AP's. Make sure you have a performing arts requirement, and as of now, you need 2 SAT II's</p>