Junior year Depression is hitting me hard. I’ve cut down on a lot of my extracurriculars because I don’t have the time and don’t want to put in the time. I now have only three clubs - a youth group, debate club (which I hate but that’s a story for another time), and the Mental Health club at my school (I’m the only Junior on a mostly Senior leadership board so I’m a shoo-in for President next year). I also have a job.
The biggest thing for me is my lack of caring about academics. I have four AP classes - B’s in AP lit and APES, A in APUSH, and white knuckling a B- in Calc that will most likely switch to a C post-exams (which are today). My other classes - choir and film - are easy A’s.
In freshman year I only had one B and in Sophomore I had none. I don’t want to get into a competitive school. I’ll probably take a gap year to be honest, but I still want to know if this major downfall means that my college apps are screwed. I’ve heard that Junior Year is the most important for your future and I should probably put more effort in, but I’m honestly kind of happy where I am. I just need to know if I still have a chance to make it into college with a good amount of scholarship money.
You are going to be okay to get into a good university assuming you take care of your mental health and keep your grades around a B level. One C will not kill you. My kid had one his soph year in an AP class (along with a number of B’s) but is still finding success in his college apps even at pretty competitive top 100 ranked schools. Most important thing is to take care of yourself and don’t overcommit. When it comes time to apply there is a section for you to describe/explain a drop in grades if you would like.
College apps ARE NOT screwed.
And for many colleges, you don’t need any activities.
More importantly - you’ve perhaps strained rigor wise - but are now burning out. Or could there be something else wrong?
Take care of you first and foremost. If classes are too hard, and I don’t know that they are, maybe see if you can downgrade a notch?
Do you enjoy your activities? If not, get a weekend job instead?
Are your parents aware of your disinterest? Maybe you can speak to the school counselor or a private counselor.
School is hard - and for some, it is disinteresting - but it is a legal requirement (HS) and disinterest could be due to other reasons.
Take care of you first.
School will always be there…even if your current record continues. Lots will open their doors for you.
Best of luck.
It depends where you apply.
Do you have any idea what your cumulative GPA is?
Also, I hope you don’t mind, but I changed your thread subject. If it’s not accurate, please let me know…but it better reflects your OP.
If this is your real name, please change it…here is how:
I think the big picture here is your own mental health and well being.
If you are not “into” this right now in your current state of mind, is college really the best path for you to take right now?
It’s not a straight line, and don’t try to make it so.
Then you are fine. There are plenty of colleges that would love to have you.
What does this mean exactly? Do you mean need-based aid or merit aid? Do you qualify for need-based aid?
I missed the budget part.
Good point.
@Ella_Starburst - you need a budget.
Then you work to the budget - with scholarships (need or merit).
For example, if your budget is $40K a year, then you don’t apply to schools that are $90K that offer only need aid (unless you have need).
But there are colleges for all budgets - so rather than focus on getting free money (scholarships), better to set a budget - and then find options (which may include scholarships) to get you to that necessary price point.
@Ella_Starburst No, not screwed at all. But please do three things:
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find someone to talk to about “junior year
depression.” Whatever you are going through, you should sort through it before senior year and for sure before college. After all your hard work, and obvious work ethic and talent, you should enjoy the rest of high school. It is not at all unusual to feel the pressures of and ambivalence about school in junior year, btw, but please find someone to help you sort through your feelings. Also, ECs should bring you joy and positive energy. They can be an outlet for the daily grind! Revisit where you want to put your energies. -
ask your math teacher for help regularly and often if you haven’t already. Even in math, how you interact and understand a teacher can impact how you learn and master the material. Your teacher might learn more about how you learn, and explain the concepts in a different way. You should also visit your ES and Lit teachers to ask what you can do to improve and explain that you are used to performing better. In my observation, teachers reward demonstrated interest, student engagement, participation and effort. Your teachers see what you are feeling — lack of motivation, and their grades reflect that. Please reengage! Once your teachers see your efforts and work ethic, they will reward you, and you will be proud of yourself for having fought through this phase.
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Exercise! Take a walk, run, go to the gym. It produces endorphins and helps clear the mind!
Even if you think right now that you would be happy going to a less selective college, that can change by next fall and again by April of 2025. Also, based on your performance and academic rigor to date, you could qualify for scholarships and honors programs that can impact the quality of your undergraduate experience, even at a less selective college. Do not sell yourself short! You have had one hiccup…in one class…for one semester. You can easily turn it around for the spring semester (colleges will see it as a hiccup, not a trend). You can do this!
Your mental health IS health. You should seek a licensed health professional’s assistance in working with this health issue. And some general advice that you’re also likely to hear from a health professional is to get ouside, get at least 7+ hours of sleep a night, eat a well-balanced diet, and get some exercise. Those are things that are good for our general health, but some folks don’t realize it’s also part of our mental health. (And this was advice I got every time I went to see a psychiatrist…someone who can prescribe medication for mental health.)
If you hate debate, I would strongly reconsider this EC.
Once your mental health is in an improved state, then see how you’re feeling towards academics. Not caring about stuff that you normally care about is often a sign of depression. If your mental health gets better but you still don’t care about academics, then it’s a good time to think about what you want your future to look like, whether that’s a gap year or a path that does not lead to a 4-year college degree (or a path that is completely your own…meandering paths to a degree are totally normal).
Nope, your apps are not screwed. There will be a school for you. Most colleges accept most of their applicants. You will just want to take care in finding a school that’s a good fit for you.
It doesn’t matter how much scholarship money you might get. It matters how much the school costs. If a school gives you $50k/year in scholarship money but costs $90k/year, that still leaves your family on the hook for $40k/year. On the other hand, your in-state publics will cost less than that even if they don’t give you $1 in scholarship money. If you need assistance in finding schools that might be a good fit (including a good financial fit), you can let us know more (or start a Chance Me/Match Me thread).
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