<p>Im currently a juniorat highschool with half of a semester of school left. My gpa with my freshmen and sophmore year combined is 3.3(59% school rank). I was planning to repair my grades this year by taking 3 ap courses and four pre ap courses, but my friend told me that if i actually calculated my gpa's altogether, it would not make as much as a difference as i tought it would, because senior year grades do not count and junior year grades will not make much of a dent. This left me very unmotivated for pretty much the first half of the semester so i made C's in some of my classes with a few exceptions of b's in my pre ap classes. I really want to get into texas a&m, or UTD, but right now i would be happy to get into any college in my area (texas) because i feel as though i wont be accepted to any colleges. I dont understand the admission processes of colleges and whether they make exceptions to gpa requirements based on student's sat scores and whether these colleges will accept me or not. I currently make 1800's in psat's. Im planning to try to salvage my gpa by trying my hardest the remaining semester but i just need a second opinion, and a better understanding of my situation right now. Thank you so muchhh!</p>
<p>The best thing you can do right now is relax and focus on what you can now do, not what could have happened. Here is the list of steps I recommend you take:
- Do what you can to get your high school classes in order. You are taking rigorous courses, which is a positive, and focus on getting good grades this semester. And while junior grades will be a focus of admissions officers, senior grades do count as well.
- Maintain good relationships with teachers and guidance counselors. Participate in class and get involved in a few extracurriculars if you haven’t already. You relationships and involvement are important for college admissions and life in general.
- Familiarize yourself with basic college admissions requirements. Most schools require that you take the SAT or ACT. Will you take both? When will you take them? Plan to take one, if not both, before the end of this school year.
- Begin to search for colleges. You can use the SuperMatch this site offers to begin. You will narrow down your college list later as the things most important to you about a future school become apparent.<br>
- Talk to your parents about your college plans. What can they offer financially? </p>
<p>Neither UTD nor Texas A&M are out as your PSAT score, if the same on your SAT puts you within range. Note that the admissions process is holistic, and GPA alone does not decide whether or not you will be accepted. Just running through the SuperMatch with basic info: Texas Tech, Texas State, U of North Texas, U of Houston are also schools you might check out. But do your own research. You will figure everything out over time!</p>
<p>Thank you so much! You have no idea how reassuring that is to hear! Also i dont know exactly how to maintain good relationships with my teachers. Im a pretty shy guy and i surely dont stand out compared to other students academicly. Also my psat score was with all three, reading, math, and writing, together, not just reading and math combined, just to put that out there.</p>
<p>You are very welcome… and i know about the PSAT, reading and math combined are only a total of 1600 points. </p>
<p>You can maintain good relationships with teachers by remaining focused and behaved in class. Make an effort to raise your hand, even if just occasionally in a class you are comfortable in, and/or ask the teacher a question about the material after class or during a free period. A good student-teacher relationship does not require you to “stand out academically” or be super outgoing… just be a respectful, hard-working student who participates when you are passionate about a subject. I myself am more introverted, but have maintained good relationships with a few teachers, a coupe of whom have now written recommendations for me.</p>