1
4 years ago
Admissions Advice

I finished freshman year with a 3.1 I’m not proud of it but is it hard to get up ?
Answered

I’ve always been on top of my work but in the beginning of the year I was kinda struggling.it really went down hill because I was on vacation for what was supposed to be two weeks and it turned into two months because I got very sick with acute bronchitis and I couldn’t travel until I got better. A lot of my teachers weren’t showing any sympathy I stayed after school skipped lunch periods, home room to do lessons on top of that I had triple the home work to do. One of my teachers failed for one class even though I did majority of her work and only had a certain amount of time till the year ended and I had to finish maybe Two test and a few assignments but she wasn’t really trying to hear what I had to say. The assignments honestly should’ve been exempt. It was also my fault because I didn’t talk to my guidance counselor like I should’ve but that’s in the past I need to Focus on the future. My last two marking periods were my strongest. Should I take APs for my sophomore year ? Which ones do you recommend I was thinking AP bio and AP history because I did bio my freshman year and it was kinda easy for me. I heard it’s hard to bring up ur gpa I’m willing to do whatever because I’m really scared because one or two people said it’s hard to bring ur gpa up after watching a few videos.

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🎉 First post
Let’s welcome @marisasyed to the community! Remember to be kind, helpful, and supportive in your responses.
@AllyG4 years ago

Have you tried appealing the F? If you didn't have time to make it up, you should not be failing due to illness. Getting that F off your transcript would raise your GPA and prevent you from having to write why you failed a class on all of your applications.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@marisasyed4 years ago

The school I go to is a vocational school. The class I failed is technically a major For one marking periods. I asked my guidance she said that I would be fine Because of the fact the marking period before I had a 99, then the failing grade, then 98, then 99. I tried doing whatever I could she just wasn’t budging. I might be moving to a school with a normal school system so I’m confused if the “major” is still gonna be on the transcript.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@marisasyed4 years ago

Sadly I can’t do anything about it. Do you recommend anything else for next year ?

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2 answers

6
Accepted Answer
4 years ago

The most important thing to consider is that you 2 1/2 years to get your grades up and you shouldn't focus on APs or Honors classes as the first order of business. Let's not get ahead of ourselves or think that you can get As in 2 AP classes and that will do it. It won't. First of all, I'm sorry about your health issues and if they were 100% to blame for your 3.1 then so be it. Nevertheless, since you are 14/15 you are having a tough time taking or expressing any remorse or responsibility for this. What happens if you get COVID-19? You need to have a better way of coping with grades and your expectations of others. My recommendation is to take classes that ensure you have the highest probability of getting an A without compromising your graduation requirements. Take regular non-weighted classes for the most part and get an A in them. If you have a track record of getting an A in other subjects like Math or STEM classes, then you can sign up for 1 or 2 AP or honors classes. Even if you get a B, you will get a 4.0 toward your GPA and that will not hurt your GPA and it will look like you are serious about course rigor. Try not to focus on GPA so much because even if you get a 4.0 for the next 2 years, your cumulative GPA will be a 3.7. Instead, focus on having an upward trend so try to get your semester grades to look more like this 3.1, 3.6, 3.7, 3.9, 4.0, 4.2, 4.4 and simultaneously ramp up your course rigor so it looks like this 10th (2 honors or APS), 11th (4 honors or APs), 12th (5 to 6 honors or APs). That shows application readers that you are improving each and every semester. If you are swimming or running competitively, college coaches would rather pick the kid with more potential than someone who peaked out in 10th grade. If you run the 800M, having times like 2:20, 2:13, 2:05, 1:57 looks way better than 2:05. 2:04, 2:06: 2:08. The coach will pick the first person because they think with proper coaching, the will get to a sub 1:50 1/2 miler, not so much for the 2nd person. Nothing is impossible if you work hard and stick to a plan. Remember also that GPA alone is not going to define you or get you into college. You need to work on other aspects of yourself and make sure you have good Test Scores, ECs, Excellent Character, Super Essays, and Recommendations plus other factors like intellectual vitality/curiosity. Best of luck next year and stay healthy.

6
1
4 years ago

It was not a good start but you have two years to change it. Try your absolute BEST during sophomore and junior years to raise that GPA, participating in classes such as art or music can get you easy 100. AP classes are hard and they will not raise your GPA unless you do amazing in them but universities think a lower GPA with AP classes is stronger than a higher GPA with normal classes. If you want a high GPA, easy classes are recommended. But if you want a stronger application, go for AP classes.

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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
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| 800 verbal
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