[Elee]

Well, this year started out pretty bad.. b/c i was never in a sport, or let alone never have i done any extra curricular. I started out this year doing Cross Country at the same time, so when i came home, i was just flat out tired. I got a 4.0 for my GPA, and this is what i got first sem:

First Semester- Freshman Year:

Algebra -B
English 1 -B
Foods 1 -A
Global Studies -B
Health Ed 1-B
Phy Sci -C
Spanish 1-B

see.. i told you i did really bad. but then this semester, i decided to REALLY work hard and try to achieve straight A's. here are my grades for this semester:

Second Semester- Freshman Year:
Algebra- A
English 1 Honors- A
Fashion 1- A
Global Studies- A
Physical Ed- A
Physical Science- B (ARGH. STUPID CLASS T___T)
Spanish- A

so yeah.. i really did step it up. the second sem arent my final grades, but im really studying hard for finals.. so a guess is that my grades are going to stay.. except for science T__T its a low b that theres no way i can pull it up to an A.
Then my plans for my sophomore year classes are:

SOPHOMORE YEAR- Classes
Geometry
English 2 Honors
Algebra II (yes, im taking two math classes)
World History Contemporary/ Human Geography A.P. [undecided]
Driver's Ed/ Physical Ed
Biology Honors
Spanish II

Then for extra curriculars:
Cross Country
Big Brother/Big sister
Badminton (hope i make it this year !)
Track&Field (i'm doing it for badminton.. as a safety if i dont make it)
Ecology Club
Key Club
Book Club ?[idk.]

thats all i can think of right now T____T. but i'm worried that i started out so bad freshman year that i won't make it to the good colleges out there.
I was thinking of University of Berkeley, but i think its kind of out of reach... or is it?

[chinese tears <3]

You're not that horribly off track actually. What matters is that your grades in sophomore year improve and you also need to make sure you know how to balance your schedule. If doing too many sports and extracurriculars are going to cause you to not be able to study or do homework, then you need to drop one of them especially since that's not going to help you get into a good school and is only going to show that you don't know how to balance your time wisely.

University of Berkeley... um, you mean the University of California, Berkeley? If you're talking about UC Berkeley then it might be out of reach if you can't pull up your sophomore year grades. It looks like you're out of state too, so it's even harder for you to get in. I can't remember but I think out of state students are required to have a 3.5+ GPA compared to 3.0 for residents. It's's already pretty hard to get in for Californians too. Cal takes a look at everything from SAT scores, GPA to extracurriculars so you need to be strong in all of them. It's good to have a steady record for ECs, like you do them for two-three years and you have leadership positions in them.

[asianami]

^ Actually, all UC campuses require a minimum of a 3.4 GPA for out of state applicants.

Anyways if you're shooting for UCB, I can tell you right now in my opinion it's a definite out of reach for you-- especially since you're from Illinois too. You've got the extra curricular activities as long as you do them the rest of your high school (shows passion) and even get a leadership position in one of them (shows leadership skills), however you're courses aren't the most rigorous. You have mostly general classes and VERY few Honors/AP classes.

But don't worry! I believe you're an incoming sophomore, correct? At least you're acknowledging the importance of college already so that's a start. And don't fret about "doing bad" in your freshman year also. (Which, may I concur, you did very well! Congratulations on the 4.0 GPA!) UCs mainly look at your sophomore and junior year so do extra well during those two years.

As long as you continue doing well in all your classes while taking the most rigorous classes you can handle and continuing your EC's throughout the upcoming high school years, you may stand a chance in getting into UCB for an OOS student!

Good luck!

[Elee]

thanks guys
well yeah.. even though berkeley might be out of reach.. i'll still try my best.. who knows ? and i had a few more questions...

if i do excellent for the next two years, what are the prestigious UCs i can possibly get in at? UCLA?

[asianami]

^
YEAH! That's the spirit! Fight!

And if you do extremely well the rest of your high school years, as in tons of AP/Honors with high grades in them; high SAT scores; high SAT II scores (a minimum of two are required for UCs); etc., then you may be a shoe in for all the UCs, despite being an out-of-state student!

"If you put your mind to it, anything can happen."

[Elee]

^omg thank you !!!
you made my day !!! i thought i wouldnt have a chance anymore. thanks for answering my questions. i promise all that minutes posting and replying to me wont go to waste ill try more than my very best [promise] AJA !