6 answers
Somi
Student
Savannah, Georgia
1
Question
Asked
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Will Summer School affect the way Universities/Colleges look at you
School has been really hard for me over quarantine and my grades are not the best right now and I want to take Summer school but im scared that it won't benefit my gpa at all. My my freshman year wasn't the best either (I maintained and B C average) . I wanna be successful but my motivation is not the best and I procrastinate/overthink way too much.
#high-school-classes #classes #college #school
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6 answers
Jason Criddle
Sales Manager
63
Answers
Boise, Idaho
Updated
Jason’s Answer
Hi Somi,
This is a great question and I hope I can help a bit. First and foremost you wrote that "...I want to take Summer school but im scared that it won't benefit my gpa at all." I would l suggest that your fear is likely over blown. Summer school can be a great way to positively affect your GPA. You can potentially re-take classes to improve your grade or, as is common where I live, you could take classes that are less critical to your academics (Like PE or something) that will allow you to potentially free up more time during the standard school year for the tougher courses. Either way there are a number of strategies that can help you to use summer school to benefit your academic situation.
I have observed that many high school students on this forum are overly concerned about college acceptance. This is often due to pressure placed on them by teachers trying to motivate their students. Too many teachers try to scare students with the horrors of not being able to get into college and thereby ruining the rest of your life. In most cases this simply a cheap trick leveraged by lazy educators by preying upon ignorance. The reality is that unless you are trying to get into an uber-competitive program or elite school, almost anyone can get into college. Most colleges/universities have programs to work with students who would not otherwise qualify academically but I doubt you would even need to consider these options based on your initial post. Many students who struggled in high school actually excel at the college level. Fundamentally, college is a business - and like any business they need customers (Students). Like most business if you are willing to pay for their services, they will generally be happy to cash your checks. You may miss out on scholarship or grant options to help pay for college if your grades are not top tier but that is certainly not the end of the world. Just do your best and don't beat yourself up too hard if the results are imperfect.
Lastly - you also stated "I wanna be successful but my motivation is not the best and I procrastinate/overthink way too much." This stood out to me as I have known many students in high school start to struggle with their mental well-being. Anxiety is actually a common problem that can sometimes be manifested by procrastination and over thinking. I'm certainly not qualified to make any diagnosis in this area but encourage you to be aware of your mental health as the stain/pressure of school especially in the pandemic environment can certainly take a toll.
Best of luck to you!
This is a great question and I hope I can help a bit. First and foremost you wrote that "...I want to take Summer school but im scared that it won't benefit my gpa at all." I would l suggest that your fear is likely over blown. Summer school can be a great way to positively affect your GPA. You can potentially re-take classes to improve your grade or, as is common where I live, you could take classes that are less critical to your academics (Like PE or something) that will allow you to potentially free up more time during the standard school year for the tougher courses. Either way there are a number of strategies that can help you to use summer school to benefit your academic situation.
I have observed that many high school students on this forum are overly concerned about college acceptance. This is often due to pressure placed on them by teachers trying to motivate their students. Too many teachers try to scare students with the horrors of not being able to get into college and thereby ruining the rest of your life. In most cases this simply a cheap trick leveraged by lazy educators by preying upon ignorance. The reality is that unless you are trying to get into an uber-competitive program or elite school, almost anyone can get into college. Most colleges/universities have programs to work with students who would not otherwise qualify academically but I doubt you would even need to consider these options based on your initial post. Many students who struggled in high school actually excel at the college level. Fundamentally, college is a business - and like any business they need customers (Students). Like most business if you are willing to pay for their services, they will generally be happy to cash your checks. You may miss out on scholarship or grant options to help pay for college if your grades are not top tier but that is certainly not the end of the world. Just do your best and don't beat yourself up too hard if the results are imperfect.
Lastly - you also stated "I wanna be successful but my motivation is not the best and I procrastinate/overthink way too much." This stood out to me as I have known many students in high school start to struggle with their mental well-being. Anxiety is actually a common problem that can sometimes be manifested by procrastination and over thinking. I'm certainly not qualified to make any diagnosis in this area but encourage you to be aware of your mental health as the stain/pressure of school especially in the pandemic environment can certainly take a toll.
Best of luck to you!
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1616
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Do not assume that university admissions officers only care about grades Somi. Universities and colleges know that your grades can be influenced by COVID, so to make the processes fairer, universities offer something called contextual admissions. This is where the university considers any barriers you may have faced, and will either reduce their grade requirements or give extra consideration when deciding whether to give you an offer. Always be open and let them see that you are passionate about learning more about your chosen field and creating a career around it. Passion brings dedication and determination to the table, so do not try to hide it. In order to do this, you can let them know about any relevant efforts you put into learning more about your field of study, discuss books and papers that you have found helpful, and declare your commitment to becoming more advanced in your studies with every year.
Your college essay allows admissions officers to learn more about who you are as an individual. If you want to get noticed, you'll need to write an essay that leaves an indelible impression. College admissions officers have thousands of applicants to vet, so you'll want to write something that not only conveys key information about you as a student but also helps you stand out from the crowd. Emphasize how the school's renowned programs could serve as the foundation for success in your future career, highlighting your character traits and talents, ones that will inspire admissions officers to sit up and take notice.
Hope this is helpful Somi
Admissions departments often look to extracurricular choices to help assess potential students. When selecting extracurricular activities, candidates should aim for quality over quantity. Demonstrating your passion and commitment to 1-2 activities related to your interests will reflect better on you than including a drawn-out list of disparate activities.
A compelling recommendation from a teacher who knows you well provides colleges with an assessment of you as a student and person that goes beyond the numbers. Teachers can describe your scholastic ability in a way that’s more detailed than what letter grades provide, and they can also speak to qualities like personal integrity, which are prized by colleges, but may not be fully reflected on your transcript.
Your college essay allows admissions officers to learn more about who you are as an individual. If you want to get noticed, you'll need to write an essay that leaves an indelible impression. College admissions officers have thousands of applicants to vet, so you'll want to write something that not only conveys key information about you as a student but also helps you stand out from the crowd. Emphasize how the school's renowned programs could serve as the foundation for success in your future career, highlighting your character traits and talents, ones that will inspire admissions officers to sit up and take notice.
Hope this is helpful Somi
Doc recommends the following next steps:
Thank you Dexter for your continued support. You never know when one act, or one word of encouragement can change a life forever.
Doc Frick
ARIEL VALDEZ
Probation Officer
2
Answers
Eagle Pass, Texas
Updated
ARIEL’s Answer
I believe it all depends on the University. I went to summer school several times when I was in HS and I got accepted into University very easily. I'd recommend emailing the University you plan on applying to just to make sure.
Adam Fisher
IT Auditor
14
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Adam’s Answer
Lots of good answers here so far. I will just add that every student and every college/university is different. This could be how people learn, the attention they receive from teachers/support staff as well as at home and what they look for in potential students.
The best thing you can do is always try your best and realize that not everyone gets straight A's. There are plenty of successful people out there that were not in the tops of their classes. Also, majority of colleges accept folks with all levels of grades and some folks end up going to a smaller school to get more of the individual attention or just go to a smaller school and get their grades up and transfer to another school. (That's what I did).
The most important thing is to look out for you and make sure you doing what you can to be successful in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.
The best thing you can do is always try your best and realize that not everyone gets straight A's. There are plenty of successful people out there that were not in the tops of their classes. Also, majority of colleges accept folks with all levels of grades and some folks end up going to a smaller school to get more of the individual attention or just go to a smaller school and get their grades up and transfer to another school. (That's what I did).
The most important thing is to look out for you and make sure you doing what you can to be successful in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.
Neeraj Malhotra
Software Engineer
2
Answers
Los Gatos, California
Updated
Neeraj’s Answer
I assume you are a freshman. I want to assure you that you must not be discouraged by your freshman grades at all. Many kids, after transition to high school have a rough start, particularly, this year, the impact of pandemic cannot be understated. Schools are well aware of this and pay more attention to the challenges you had in high school and how you dealt with these challenges, rather than your absolute grades. A steady improvement in grades over your high school years demonstrates that and will get you far. So, do not fret over college admissions too much and focus on the work at hand. Results will follow when the time comes. Sometimes, dealing with multiple subjects in high school can be overwhelming and demotivating. When working on one subject, try to keep you 100% focus on that subject and do not think about ten other things that are pending. Only way to succeed is to do one thing at a time and doing it well. Summer school can be a great opportunity to have your full focus on one subject in a fast paced manner as opposed to multi-tasking across multiple subjects. If it works for you, you could write about it in your college apps to demonstrate how you bounced back from your freshman year academically by taking summer school and this will be impressive. Even if it doesn't work, as long as you give it your best, you can say that you tried. During the school year, try to maintain a course load that you can do well with rather than overshooting just for the sake of impressing colleges (as it mostly does not work that way). Also remember that besides academics, colleges really want to understand who you are as a whole.
Yasemin G.
Aspiring physician
635
Answers
Updated
Yasemin’s Answer
Hi Somi ! I am not sure 100% how colleges will look at this but applying to any school and having certain setbacks is not necessarily a negative thing. It's important about the growth you experienced, maybe summer school taught you to be a better student perhaps you were unsure of what it took to do well and it gave you good insight. When talking about setbacks or things that may seem negative, approach it with what you learned, how you grew from it and the impact it made on you. You could discuss it in a college interview or your personal statement too for college. Maybe you were not always the best student and that's okay, take accountability but don't focus on the negative focus on what you learned and how you became better from it. It leaves room for growth and new aspirations. Also I would recommend to ask your guidance counselor how colleges will view it grade wise and the academic transcript formality. This could give more insight into the process but hope this helps!
Best of luck!
Best of luck!