I took the hardest course load available (will have taken around 14 AP tests after this coming year) and my grades are pretty bad since i got Bs in almost many of them, and even a few Cs, Ds, and an F. 3.0 unweighted and 4.0 weighted GPAs basically. What now? I’m in trouble for challenging myself then? My SAT score is 2310, and my PSAT score is almost perfect (so NM semi-finalist), but does that mean anything at this point? I have one more semester left, but even if i get all As it won’t do very much.
I really want to go to schools like UT Austin, but CS is highly competitive so I don’t have a chance.
I’m at a loss. Do I just apply as another major? Do I apply to other schools and try to transfer in later?
Edited for language
ED
What is your home state? What can your family afford? With some Ds and an F it’s very possible you won’t be NMF even if you make semifinalist. With your scores it seems like you were either too ambitious or didn’t apply yourself. There are many schools that will still accept you. Alabama will use your weighted GPA for its merit aid so that’s an option.
You sacrificed your grades by taking too many APs. No one needs 14. It’s a shame your guidance counselor allowed you to take that many. It’s too late to change what’s done, so you have to make the best out of your situation. I know two guys who both scored very high on the SAt or Act and their grades were not great. They both got into many colleges. Colleges do want high test scores. So you have to look at colleges where your GPA is high and apply to those, because I am sure with your test scores, and the fact that your weighted GPA is higher, you will have lots of colleges to choose from. You can of course apply to your top choices and hope for the best. Choose your rec letter teachers wisely and write a great essay, and I am sure you will have lots of great schools to choose from.
For the benefit of others who might read this, this post is a good illustration of why it isn’t great to just load up on a lot of APs. Of course colleges want to see people challenging themselves, but not at the expense of good grades. They don’t want to see C, or Ds and Fs especially, in andvanced courses. Taking this many will strike some colleges as a desperate attempt to impress. They might look at the applicant as an academic drone who erroneously thinks that they need a ton of APs in order to get in. It is far better to take a manageable course load that a student can do well in. Conventional wisdom on CC is that 6-8 APs is a good number to aim for. Most GCs feel that grades are the number 1 factor considered at colleges, followed by test scores. Given the fact though that more and more colleges are going test optional, it seems clear that grades are critical in the admissions process. Keep those grades high.
@“Erin’s Dad”
My home state is Texas, and my parents are willing to pay for most of my tuition if I go to a school that they deem “acceptable.” I have will look into Alabama.
@Lindagaf
My school is highly competitive (nationally ranked in the top 25 by US News), so I was forced into taking that many classes if I didn’t want to end up in the bottom half of my class. My school’s GCs are notorious for being unhelpful and sassy, so no surprise there. Rec letters are also a problem since I wasn’t able to be a standout student in any of my classes heh.
I apologize for cursing in my OP; I was pretty heated when I wrote it. I only assumed that it would be fine once I posted because the words were censored.
If you think your recs are going to be middling, then I think you really ought to consider automatic merit at colleges that offer it, or your in-state schools. Your parents need to understand that they have, in part, forced you into this position. You can’t get into where you can’t get into, and if they will only pay tuition at colleges they think are worth it, then you need to enlighten them on what your situation will potentially be like. You didn’t have to take fourteen APs. Even ten would still have been more than enough, and you could have had better grades. It would have enabled you to do better in your junior year classes. Not trying to beat you up, but you bit off more than you could chew. My D took four APs this year, and it was a ton of work. I can’t even imagine how burnt out you must feel from that intense schedule. I would let your parents read this thread. Many parents just do not understand how competitive it is these days. It is very unfair for them to decide whether or not they think a college is worth it. Surely no college at all is definitely not “worth it”?