<p>My 9th grade year was a joke. I got C’s and D’s on standard(no honors or upper lvl) classes. My GPA was a 2.8, is there a chance I can still get into Duke? Lets just say I straightened up during 10th and 11th grade with a 3.8+.
Hooks: URM(black) 1st gen to college 30k fam income single parent home
Did I dig a hole too deep or is there still a chance? My HS isn’t competitive at all and top 10% of class isn’t out of the question.</p>
<p>Ouch. that will definitely hurt you. do you take rigorous classes? if so and if you really are getting a 3.8+ and your test scores, ec’s, etc are up to duke’s standards, then you have a fighting chance.</p>
<p>I suggest getting your act together now and getting as many As in advanced/AP classes from here on out. You will need to work your butt off, but you still have a chance. A positive grade trend will help. At the same time, I’m not an admissions officer, so I don’t want to give you false hope.</p>
<p>When it comes time to apply, I suggest explaining why your grades were low your freshman year, especially if there was an issue at home (i.e. finances were very tight, death or illness in the family, etc.) that affected your academic performance.</p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt to apply, but you need to get your act together. Make sure you get involved in extracurriculars that are meaningful to YOU as well.</p>
<p>Will it hurt you? Yes. But, you definitely have a chance. If this was your 11th grade, that would have been a different story. Take as many rigorous courses as you can and do well in them. Explore your interests and develop your ECs. And as slik nik said, “When it comes time to apply, I suggest explaining why your grades were low your freshman year, especially if there was an issue at home” I remember reading once, that they’re looking for an upward trend in your grade performance from grade to grade. Get your act together and you’ll be where you want to be in no time! Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who’s been giving me helpful responses. I know I need to get tremendous grades from this point on but I was thinking to myself that since Duke is looking for students who take rigorous classes, will me taking standard classes hurt me? I know it will but wouldn’t they know I was forced to that those classes because of my 9th grade year? What I’m saying is, me taking normal classes will hurt me but would Duke know I didn’t chose those classes and was forced to take them because of my bad 9th grade year?</p>
<p>Duke is looking for students who take rigorous courses and succeed in them. If you take an easy schedule and do well or take a difficult schedule and do poorly, unfortunately your chances of admission at Duke are low. There are just too many qualified applicants meeting those criteria. Being forced to take “normal” classes due to performing poorly in honors courses is not an excuse Duke will accept. Sorry for the bluntness, but that’s just the reality of the situation. Good luck.</p>
<p>@OP: The Admissions Office is not expecting you to take only APs/advanced/honors classes from here on out. They realize that high schools have certain graduation requirements, such as PE, American Government, etc. You don’t need to put yourself through hell by taking 7 seven advanced/AP/honors classes each year from here on out. They want balance. But, whenever you can, take APs/Advanced/Honors classes and aim for getting As in all of them. I think fitting in rigorous coursework into your schedule (maybe take 3 advanced classes your sophomore year and 5 APs each your junior and senior year) and doing well in them will help your cause for admission. Seek resources at your school for help. Talk to your guidance counselor about time management/study skill tips (and there are a bunch online if you Google “study skills”), meet with your teachers one-on-one whenever you are struggling, form study groups with peers if you can, and study a little bit each days. These four steps will help you do well (although only join a study group if it helps you), and they will prepare you well for college. Good luck!</p>