Are my college dreams ruined? Please Answer???

Question

My grades have fallen due to family and psychological problems. (I feel as if im suffering from depression) I have been homeless several times and my parents have pretty much divorced.(not final) I have not seen my mom in what seems like forever and i have been troubled by internal conflicts in my family.

(I am a freshman in all honors classes) Last semester i was able to manage a 3.8 but this semester as things have worsened, my grades have plummeted. My math teacher has put me into a course that is below my ability(intermediate alg 2 when i can manage honors alg 2) because of my low grades. Im under a lot of pressure because i have siblings in two ivy league schools and i have cracked under the pressure beacuse of my situation. What can i do to improve grades and get into honors math next year and revive my college dreams? Please Help!! Thank you

Answer 1

It sounds like you have problems that go beyond the help you can receive from strangers on the Internet. Please go see the counselor at your school. They can help you get your life on track and teach you how to deal with your family's problems.

That being said, you are a freshman. All is not lost by a long shot. For one, extenuating circumstances can be explained by your guidance counselor in a carefully worded recommendation--as in, "Rachel has overcome such difficulty to get where she is. After a tumultuous freshman year in which she saw the breakup of her parents' marriage and spent several nights living on the street, she has thrived in the high school environment. She is ready for the next level."
For another, while your overal high school GPA and class rank might suffer a bit, you want to show a steady stream of improvement over your high school years. Colleges know that things happen; life gets messy. They also know that at 14 or 15 years old, you're not an adult yet. You're going to have slip-ups. As long as you show that you can improve, colleges won't care about your freshman year scores. They are admitting you for who you are when you graduate; not who you are when you're a freshman. (However, you should not wait till your Senior or Junior year to pick up the grades--that's pushing it. You need to start getting them up as soon as possible.)

The most important thing for you to do, though, is get some help. It's not a sign of weakness; you're in an impossible situation that is out of your control, and you need a support system in place to help you deal.

And remember that you are not your siblings. The Ivy League may not even be what you truly want. There are so many fabulous schools out there--you'll land somewhere, and if you've done your homework, you'll be happy. Good luck.

Answer 2

If you are a freshman, all is not lost. But beyond that, before you worry about school, I would reccomend you seek counseling. Depression is something to not be left untreated. Talk to a counselor or a trusted teacher or just a trusted adult. You need to take care of yourself, first and foremost. You also need to talk to both parents about how things they are doing are affecting you. If you can't talk to one of your siblings, someone in the family has to take a stand and help you too. Once things in the family and your pyschological health is better, school will be easier again.

And as a former college recruiter, I can tell you, that even if you have to take extra classes, do extra work, or remake a year, as long as you keep up the good work your sophomore/junior years, things should still be ok. As for getting into honors math class next year? Talk to your math teacher and explain it. And don't think of it as an excuse, but a rational reason. Good luck hon and don't give up hope.

Answer 3

You sound a lot like me, in regards to the general nuttiness about grades. First off: you're a freshman. You've got 3 more years to get your grades up, if they don't come up this semester! Your dream is by no means dead-if you were a junior, yeah, you'd be in a bit of trouble. But you're a freshman, so you ARE NOT IN TROUBLE!

Second: depression can have a huge effect on your performance in school; as a result, I'd see if your school offers any counseling or help for situations like that. You can keep the counseling a secret from your friends, if it embarasses you or something, but it is a good idea to get help. Also, it's good to get help if you're this worried about grades; the fact that your siblings are in the Ivy League is a big deal, but it should not be driving you to depression and potentially a nervous breakdown about grades during freshman year.

Third: In regards to wanting to get into honors math again; just keep working hard in math for the rest of the semester, and by hard, I mean hard; make it one of your priorities. Study hard, do all the homework, ask for help from the teacher if you need it...show him/her that you deserve to be in honors math again next year.

Do I sound crazy? Quite possibly; but the thing is, I'm going through the same thing you are, except A. I'm the oldest in my family, so my parents are pressuring me to go for the Ivy League and B. I'm a junior. If my grades drop this year, it's bad, but not so bad that I won't get into college, since I've got a 4.0 solid base GPA that I built up in 9th and 10th grades. A 3.8 is a fabulous base GPA; if you can maintain that and make it higher as high school goes on, you are in very good shape.

Oh, and yes, I am getting help for my obsession with good grades; it's harder to get good grades in high school than it was in middle school. It's hard to look at other students and wonder why your grades are possibly not as good. High school is where people start to separate a lot in terms of grades, since not everyone is taking the same courses at the same time. And seriously? It is helping to get help with it. Good luck with the rest of high school, and don't worry; you'll do fine!

Answer 4

First things first, you must believe in yourself and have you know, confidence! Think that you can do it, but don't push yourself too hard! If you're a freshman and in Intermediate Algebra, that's still good. You don't have to push yourself too hard! I finished Algebra two in college so don't feel too bad! And if you want, you can talk to a school counselor/psychologist if you are having personal problems, or if you don't want your school to know, talk to someone outside of school. Get your parent's help with looking for a therapist/psychologist. I bet you're only 14/15, so don't be so depressed at that age. It will be harder when you're 23 so if you crack now, imagine how it will be when you're older. Just relax and don't push yourself too much. take time to have fun and rest, once that's done, get a tutor if you like to help you.I'm sure there's peer tutoring at your high school.

Answer 5

THis semester is not over and there may still be time for you to raise your grades. First, go to the college health center and ask to speak to a counselor about your depression. If you are truely depressed, they can offer you medication that may help. After you have been diagnosed with depression, talk to your professors about doing extra credit work or retaking exams. Sometimes professors will give you the Final exam grade as your final grade.

Answer 6

Your first step needs to be your school counselor. Let them know what is going on in your life and let them help you. If you do not get what you need from them, do you have a minister or close family (adult) friend you can rely on for help? You need intervention on your behalf and if your parents are unable to assist right now, you need another adult to step in and take their place. As difficult as it may be to admit that your life is in turmoil, you need to tell in order to get the help you need. I don't know any teacher or school administrator that will not do ANYTHING in their power to help a student that has difficult circumstances-but they have to KNOW about it first! Don't just struggle in silence because you will wind up paying the price when it comes to college acceptance. Your dreams are very possible-just speak up and let others give you the leg up you need right now.

Answer 7

No, they are not ruined yet. Have you tried talking to the school psychologist, social worker, your guidance counselor, or your favorite teacher? They can provide advice and help with your current situation. Often the school has good resources to help you if not financial but emotionally and psycholgically.

Answer 8

ha , your honors , you'll be fine by the time your troubles in you'll be in intermediate class's and still be ahead , talk to your prof tell them your problems tell them to wait to drop you to slow classes as you have trouble currently if you r load is to stressful drop A class , take internet courses , go to a psychiatrist and get anti-depressants for however long your troubles last

Answer 9

talk to your high school counselor and see what he/she says. your college dreams arent ruined. keep dreaming. they look more at your sophmore-senior grades. im a freshman too.