[xLilxJayBoix]

hey soompiers

so i was wondering if i can make it to college because yesterday this harvard dude came in my school and talk bout it. he sed you need really decent grades to make it to colleges like harvard and tufts. well my goal is to go to tufts, but i dont think i can go to tufts because basically my grades are kinda below average. i got a D and F in math and Cs in ela. not to mention a F or 2 in mandarin. im almost on my last term, and i dont really know what they are teaching in class. sometimes i wonder even if i make it thru 9th wud bout 10th? so yeah and i got Cs in science too and i suck at writing.

oh btw i got suspended 2 days during the 1st/2nd term of 9th grade and maybe 1 instant report.

im wondering if they would look at that, im pretty sure they would.

can i still go to an good college and have a good future? ><

and does extracurricular activities help?

i think maybe i can still make if i write a really awesome college essay

THANKS ALOT~

[michilatte]

i think that if you improve ALOOOOT in the next two years
like, straight As, amazing extracurriculars, and winning awards

then you have a chance.

however, if you keep that up, an awesome college essay isn't going to help you at all.

[Jin91]

Colleges like to see improvement. If you have the determination and work really hard, you can slowly improve your grades. I don't think it has to be immediate, but I would start asap. It won't be easy, so you have to be serious about it. Seeing that you are in 9th grade, you still have time to change things. Talk to your teachers for help or get a tutor.

Other than academics, try to be involved in extracurriculars, whether that be clubs, sports, and such. You can also utilize your summer through summer programs and later internships. Don't think JUST a good essay will get you in. Lots of people will have good grades in school and standardized tests, lots of extracurriculars, and good essays but still don't get into the colleges they want.

Since you are a freshmen, you still have time. Don't just hope and wish that you can get into a good college. Put genuine effort in and if you have determination, you can do it. Sometimes you will have to put off your social life or having fun if you want to keep up. It'll be difficult, but if you get into the school you want, won't it be worth all the hard work?

oh yeah, and try to keep out of trouble. Multiple suspensions won't look good to anybody.

Best of Luck

[DaAzNkIgGa627]

Colleges like to see improvement. If you have the determination and work really hard, you can slowly improve your grades. I don't think it has to be immediate, but I would start asap. It won't be easy, so you have to be serious about it. Seeing that you are in 9th grade, you still have time to change things. Talk to your teachers for help or get a tutor.

Other than academics, try to be involved in extracurriculars, whether that be clubs, sports, and such. You can also utilize your summer through summer programs and later internships. Don't think JUST a good essay will get you in. Lots of people will have good grades in school and standardized tests, lots of extracurriculars, and good essays but still don't get into the colleges they want.

Since you are a freshmen, you still have time. Don't just hope and wish that you can get into a good college. Put genuine effort in and if you have determination, you can do it. Sometimes you will have to put off your social life or having fun if you want to keep up. It'll be difficult, but if you get into the school you want, won't it be worth all the hard work?

oh yeah, and try to keep out of trouble. Multiple suspensions won't look good to anybody.

Best of Luck

I second this.

I was at a stage in my life in 8th grade where I had to choose between somethings. I chose amongst the better (I believe), and for that I was rewarded. I think you shouldn't doubt your goals, my goal was West Point. I used to cheat more than I should have, lied in the same manner, and was more lazy than was needed. I used West Point as my goal and I really started to turn things around... now I don't want to go to West Point anymore, but it changed me.

So let Tufts, or wherever you want to go change you.

So what do you need to get into Tufts. Obviouslly there is no "magical" formula, but here's a rough guide.
-Get strong A's and B's while taking really good courseload. Nothing to overwhelm you, but at the same time, don't take easy stuff and get A's and B's. And also... get more A's than B's =P... that's always the goal ^^

-Stay involved in a lot of stuff and make a difference in your school, community, or even maybe state or country. For example, I helped get grants and led fundraisers to get really energy efficent hand dryers at my school. Like what makes you stand out amongst your activities?

-Get a good SAT score... It's a stupid test, your score will matter only once in your life (for Undergraduate admissions), but do well on it anyways. Crank out a practice book... Really... just memorize the stupid writing rules, learn how to write a good essay, and the dumb tricks on the reading section... Haha... as mundane as that may seem

-Make good connections. Your teachers will be the ones writing your letters of reccomendation, and your reputation is important. Don't let that falter.

-Stay out of trouble. You'll be competing for admission against real cookie-cutters, so if you are a troublemaker... it'll be a black mark against you. And it's always good to stay out of trouble anyways. It's more important to address, why am I getting into this trouble though.

-Finally... don't let college overwhelm you. I made that mistake of making college my singular obsession in freshman year, and.... don't let it. College will come, and if you work hard, you'll get into a school where you will improve. Maybe it will be Tufts, maybe not. Keep college as the end goal, but don't let every single action you take be devoted to getting into an elite college.

I hope this information helped.

[lovebaby]

Yes, you can still go to a good college. Like Jin91 said, colleges like to see improvements. If you can pull from your D's and F's to straight A's and B's in your later years, they'll definitely consider you as a good contender for their facility. Extracurriculars definitely help. Colleges doesn't pick its students from just grades and SAT scores alone. Many people with average GPA's and SAT scores that have kick-ass Extracurriculars got into Berkeley in my school, so yes, I would say Extracurricular makes a big impact on your college application. Colleges like a well-rounded student, so sports and community service would look impressive.

[wolfwolf]

Yes, you can still go to a good college. Like Jin91 said, colleges like to see improvements. If you can pull from your D's and F's to straight A's and B's in your later years, they'll definitely consider you as a good contender for their facility. Extracurriculars definitely help. Colleges doesn't pick its students from just grades and SAT scores alone. Many people with average GPA's and SAT scores that have kick-ass Extracurriculars got into Berkeley in my school, so yes, I would say Extracurricular makes a big impact on your college application. Colleges like a well-rounded student, so sports and community service would look impressive.

where can i go to sign up for community service?

[DaAzNkIgGa627]

where can i go to sign up for community service?

Ask your school guidance counselor.

Call up a local charity.

Call the local hospital.

Call the local library.

See if there is any help needed at elementary school

Call the food shelf

Make your own community service project

Adopt-A-Highway

Haha the list is endless.

[pachi_A]

don't think that an awesome college essay is going to cover up your bad grades.
i had a good personal statement, tons of extra-curricular activities, community service, honors/ap classes, 3.8GPA, but a few C's and D's in science and math, and I felt like that really hurt my chances of getting into a lot of the schools i applied to. it's really competitive to get into college this year, even people with 4.0s who are geniuses are getting rejected. i don't think its right to judge someone's ability and character based on their GPA, but that's a big part of what colleges have to judge you on. so you should work hard with the years you have left. like already stated, colleges like to see improvement. study for your sats/acts!

[xboredguy]

i agree with everyone who has posted so far

however, to be honestly realistic, i do not see any chance of you getting accepted to a decent college with your current academic grades and behavior

dont take this the wrong way and i know it sounds kinda harsh, but sometimes reality is harsh

however, since you do seem determined, try your best to improve your grades and behavior stuff as the years go by
if it doesnt work out in the end, you can always go to a community college, do well there and transfer
i know some kids who screwed up in high school and ended up at a community college. they got their act together in cc and ended up transferring to a better university

so even if you dont get accepted anywhere, there is still hope for a good college, just maybe not in the traditional manner
Best of Luck

[krnxpr0]

freshman year don't mean squat.

stanford doesn't even take into account freshman year.

just work hard from now on

[xthefirst]

hey soompiers

so i was wondering if i can make it to college because yesterday this harvard dude came in my school and talk bout it. he sed you need really decent grades to make it to colleges like harvard and tufts. well my goal is to go to tufts, but i dont think i can go to tufts because basically my grades are kinda below average. i got a D and F in math and Cs in ela. not to mention a F or 2 in mandarin. im almost on my last term, and i dont really know what they are teaching in class. sometimes i wonder even if i make it thru 9th wud bout 10th? so yeah and i got Cs in science too and i suck at writing.

oh btw i got suspended 2 days during the 1st/2nd term of 9th grade and maybe 1 instant report.

im wondering if they would look at that, im pretty sure they would.

can i still go to an good college and have a good future? ><

and does extracurricular activities help?

i think maybe i can still make if i write a really awesome college essay

THANKS ALOT~

honestly, i don't think you will. your freshman class is super-huge so the competition will only be worse than this year. in my opinion, you should let go of tufts and pick something a bit easier to get into. HOWEVER, if you really see yourself working extra-extra-hard the next two years, then by all means, go for it. you'd have to have perfect grades from now on. the suspension and any other bad behavior will be seen by colleges since the college advisors have to list any misdemeanors and the reasons for them. forget the essay for now, focus on getting your grades up of what's left in this semester. do tons of volunteer work and other extracurricular activities starting this summer, and build this up for the next few years.
good luck. (: i hope you can do it.

[~S.O.S~]

i agree with everyone who has posted so far

however, to be honestly realistic, i do not see any chance of you getting accepted to a decent college with your current academic grades and behavior

dont take this the wrong way and i know it sounds kinda harsh, but sometimes reality is harsh

I second this.


I'm not gonna tell you that you have no chance at all, but the chances are slim, very slim. If you are really aiming for Tufts, then you have to go through some MAJOR improvement. You'll probably have to work harder than everyone else to in order to compensate for your freshman year. But if you are motivated and willing to change your ways, then you have a chance at decent colleges, maybe not Tufts or Harvard, but decent schools nonetheless. Extracurriculars are definitely pluses, so try and let your passion shine through. Good luck!

[Fueled by Ramen]

honestly, I don't know what any of these people are talking about saying that you won't make it into a good college because of your freshman year. you're still a freshman right?

just improve. a lot of schools don't even look at freshman year grades and if they do, then they will see that you improved, which looks awesome, maybe even better than a typical smart asian who got a 4.0gpa every single year. my advice to you is just to get it together - start paying attention, studying, join extracurriculars, and do some community service. if you do this stuff you can definitely make it into a good college, because believe it or not, colleges are not looking for your "typical smart asian" as I said, the one who gets awesome grades and seems well rounded in sports and ECs... just like every other asian applicant. it will really help if you show improvement, get involved in ECs, and have a unique idea of what you want to do with your life because if you just want to do business or pre-med there are also a lot of asian applicants going for that. if you want to do business but incorporate something really unique about it in your app, on the other hand, this looks a lot better.

^this is not racist in any way; even my college counselors and asian peers have acknowledged that it's harder for an asian kid with a 4.0 who wants to do business to get into a good college than a white kid with a 4.0 who wants to do business because the smart asian stereotype is pretty true for those who apply to top colleges. it may suck, but it's true. i'm not saying the asian kid won't get accepted but it's less likely, which is really unfortunate

so good luck and seriously.. don't listen to these people. as long as you can do well the rest of your HS career (and I don't doubt that you are intelligent, just unmotivated at the present moment) you will definitely make it into a respectable college, even if it's not harvard or tufts~~

[THEmerryJANE]

There are ways to get into college without doing good in high school, i.e. community college ---> transfer.

[xthefirst]

honestly, I don't know what any of these people are talking about saying that you won't make it into a good college because of your freshman year. you're still a freshman right?

just improve. a lot of schools don't even look at freshman year grades and if they do, then they will see that you improved, which looks awesome, maybe even better than a typical smart asian who got a 4.0gpa every single year. my advice to you is just to get it together - start paying attention, studying, join extracurriculars, and do some community service. if you do this stuff you can definitely make it into a good college, because believe it or not, colleges are not looking for your "typical smart asian" as I said, the one who gets awesome grades and seems well rounded in sports and ECs... just like every other asian applicant. it will really help if you show improvement, get involved in ECs, and have a unique idea of what you want to do with your life because if you just want to do business or pre-med there are also a lot of asian applicants going for that. if you want to do business but incorporate something really unique about it in your app, on the other hand, this looks a lot better.

^this is not racist in any way; even my college counselors and asian peers have acknowledged that it's harder for an asian kid with a 4.0 who wants to do business to get into a good college than a white kid with a 4.0 who wants to do business because the smart asian stereotype is pretty true for those who apply to top colleges. it may suck, but it's true. i'm not saying the asian kid won't get accepted but it's less likely, which is really unfortunate

so good luck and seriously.. don't listen to these people. as long as you can do well the rest of your HS career (and I don't doubt that you are intelligent, just unmotivated at the present moment) you will definitely make it into a respectable college, even if it's not harvard or tufts~~

i understand what you said about freshman year not counting as much as the other years, but it still affects your overall GPA which the colleges base a good portion of the decision on. i feel that's a common misconception among high school students. people tell us that freshman year doesn't count so much, but you learn through experience that the grades have to be great all throughout the years to get admission.
but still, try your best, and who knows, maybe you can get into some private or public college.

[VietBunnyChan]

Grades are something you should work on but it shouldn't be your only focus. You should also get into a lot of after school activities, community service, internships, student government, national junior honors society, things that make you stand out more than just kids who are super smart with 4.0 GPAs. You could also try participating in competitions like science fair or essay/story contests. Or you could apply to become a page for the House of Representatives in the 10th or 11th grade.

For grades, just make your lowest grades one mid-C and you'll do okay. You should probably get a tutor though. Also, don't get suspended again. Ever.

Freshman year is nothing. Just work harder in sophomore year to get into honors/AP/IB courses. Colleges will like your progress. Chances are kind of slim though if you don't put effort into it.

[Jin91]

hmm you haven't replied yet xLilxJayBoix, but I hope you're reading our suggestions. Work hard towards your goals

[Fueled by Ramen]

i understand what you said about freshman year not counting as much as the other years, but it still affects your overall GPA which the colleges base a good portion of the decision on. i feel that's a common misconception among high school students. people tell us that freshman year doesn't count so much, but you learn through experience that the grades have to be great all throughout the years to get admission.
but still, try your best, and who knows, maybe you can get into some private or public college.

yeah, it does affect your overall GPA, but if you show a drastic improvement colleges will see that and look highly upon you.

i'm just saying he shouldn't think it's over because he screwed up one year~