I am a junior in high school currently trying to turn my life around. I come from a upper-middle class family and I have always been lazy. During my middle school years i was exceptionally deviant, i would smoke weed, cigarettes and get suspended on a monthly basis. I had many friends playing football so i decided i would try my 9th grade year, and i did, and me being as big as i am, i was great at it. 9th grade was rough but then my sophmore year i was moved up to varsity. My grades were not too low but definetely were not great, i had about a 3.3 unweighted gpa. I didnt care though because i thought i was NFL worthy and that colleges would come running to recruit me and id go to the nfl And be set for life. But one morning 10th grade summer i woke up; i asked myself how much football meant to me over my education and if i really wanted to die at 50 from brain damage over this sport…the answer was no. So i quit football, and decided to pursue my education. Now is the end of junior year and im finishing this year with about a 3.75 unweighted gpa. I took the SAT that i only studied for about 4 months, and got a 2100. I took no AP classes this year but Senior year im taking AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Stats, AP gov/eco. I am very determined and i am extremely good at math. My resume does not have much except 1 year varsity football, 2 years varsity shotput & discus, 2 years varsity powerlifting. This summer i am doing a internship at a hospital though which will give me alot of community service hours. My resume won’t really be ready until the end of my senior year…what should i do? What can i do? I really want to turn around my previously bad grades and bad past. I wish i could just tell schools that i have changed and am ready to work every minute if i get accepted to their school. I want to go somewhere good, not a community college like all my friends that i used to hang out with are going. Give me advice please, thank you. I also plan on doing the SAT 2 physics test in fall.
Glad to see you turn your life around! My best advise: Take the many opportunities that you currently have. You can talk about this in your essay (it would actually make a good topic). Try to join a few extracurricular that you will be committed to for senior year. And most importantly… don’t stress. Wish you the best of luck!
Is there anything i can do about my resume not being ready before Dec. 1 of this year? because if there was anyway i could send my resume like at the end of my senior year i think it would look pretty good. Because it would have my AP scores and final gpa and class rank which would be better than it would before Dec. 1.
There are schools with later app dates and other with rolling admissions. But, those who take apps until later are generally worse schools.
Tuesday morning, make an appointment with your guidance counselor, or the College Placement Office if your school has one. Lay your cards on the table, and ask for advice. The professionals there have seen kids just like you in the past, and will offer the right advice as far of which schools to apply to.
There are some schools that will take your first quarter grades, and extrapolate them to the end of the year. So that A in Physics in December is assumed to be an A in June. Ask your guidance counselor.
Try getting a job! Working can be a great way to build character, explore career options, and demonstrate responsibility. Also, remember that, if you aren’t admitted anywhere this year, you can work and/or take community college classes while working on your credentials for a year and apply again next year! Good luck!
Great story. Good work. Implement your background into your essay. Good luck man and I truly wish you the best
Thanks man
Don’t sell yourself short. The posters here on CC are the most focused, and deliberate people you’ll ever meet with respect to college preparation. Think of college prep as though you decided to try a different sport. Say trading football for lacrosse. You’ll be competing against folks with many year’s experience, but with drive, talent and grit, you can play varsity. (Attitude is everything.) Now, just like football, identify your weaknesses, and work to bring them up. You’ve got a plan. Now work the plan.