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What to do? Bad grades

L

lu0s3r322

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 28, 2005
747
29
I just recieved 4 B's for my semester grades out of 6 classes and I really push myself at school. My parents want to me to do well and so do I, but this did nothing for my confidence. A B might not seem bad for some people but for me, I've always gotten straight A's till this yr (soph. in high school). I don't know what to do. Next semester I have even more classes and I'm going into it very uncertain.

I just got a MBP too and my parents will think that it has lowered my grades because I am using it all the time.
 
1. Don't take so many classes.
2. Work smarter.
3. Stay off the laptop.
4. Don't let it get you down, it's not as though your High School achievements are going to follow you around for the rest of your life. As soon as you step foot into Uni or the workplace they mean absolutely zilch.

A B isn't bad, yes you may expect more of yourself and there's nothing wrong with that but you're just going to have to take the hit and get back up. Really, don't stress over this, you'll be fine.
 
If you want, I can fax you a copy of my report cards thoughout high school. With an average 1.7 GPA (I'm not exactly bragging here...), I think they will see that you could've done much, much worse.
 
Well a couple things...

a) if you think using the MBP is affecting your grades, by all means try and cut back a bit
b) sophomore year in high school is when high school really begins. I don't care what people say but freshmen are not high schoolers.
c) grades aren't everything. I understand that you're used to straight A's... I'm the same way, but if you're doing your best but yet struggling, that's just incentive to keep up the hard work knowing it will probably pay off in the end
d) tell your parents to back off a little bit. tell them you are as disappointed with the b's as they are, and that you'll do everything you can to continue being the conscientous student you are.

I'm a senior in high school... top 5% of my class, 1450 SATs and I've had rough patches, too. Hell my class average in AP Chem and Honors Chem were in the low 80s. Guess what? I just don't like and suck at chemistry. Sometimes there are things you just aren't good at or things you just don't do well in. That's just the way it is. Don't sweat it, because on the whole, a few semester grades don't make or break you as a student.

Have fun
 
Dude, I am completely feeling your pain right now

I am usually an A/B student, with the occasional C slipping in when I slack off. This next report card coming is going to be my worst ever. I have a feeling I'm getting 3 C's (never happened before, ever) along with my 4 A's. I attribute it to being much to involved after school, but I am losing confidence in my intellect. Sure, having a side computer business, being part of both the Robotics team and the Indoor Track team along with having 7 classes could add up, but I still feel in my heart I can juggle it all. The reality is, I probably can't.

My advice: Think twice before piling on more just because you're succeeding. I was doing great up until this year, my Junior year too, thinking I could handle anything. Not so much the case anymore.

I wish I could worry about my 4 B's again. Funny, those were my grades during Soph year too.
 
lu0s3r322 said:
I just recieved 4 B's for my semester grades out of 6 classes and I really push myself at school. My parents want to me to do well and so do I, but this did nothing for my confidence. A B might not seem bad for some people but for me, I've always gotten straight A's till this yr (soph. in high school). I don't know what to do. Next semester I have even more classes and I'm going into it very uncertain.

I just got a MBP too and my parents will think that it has lowered my grades because I am using it all the time.
Click to expand...

Life lesson #104: Your grades in high school will be meaningless 3 years from now. (unless you flunk out). High school itself will be meaningless in 3 years too.
 
mac-er said:
Life lesson #104: Your grades in high school will be meaningless 3 years from now. (unless you flunk out). High school itself will be meaningless in 3 years too.
Click to expand...

Life lesson #104a: Your grades in high school will be meaningless 3 years from now, but they will be meaningful 2.5 years from now when you are trying to get into college. high school is a means to an end. do what you need to do to keep your grades as high as you can, so maybe you should drop a class, etc..
 
You can't stress over grades, It isn't going to help anything and will only make it worse. I would of killed for straight B's.:eek:
 
lu0s3r322 said:
I just recieved 4 B's for my semester grades out of 6 classes and I really push myself at school. My parents want to me to do well and so do I, but this did nothing for my confidence. A B might not seem bad for some people but for me, I've always gotten straight A's till this yr (soph. in high school). I don't know what to do. Next semester I have even more classes and I'm going into it very uncertain.

I just got a MBP too and my parents will think that it has lowered my grades because I am using it all the time.
Click to expand...
Hey, don't sweat it. I had all straight A's up until my 8th grade year. There was one class I got a B in first semester then two in second semester (prolonged substitute science teacher did not know what she was doing).

Now I'm a freshmen and have 3 B's and 3 A's. My parents still are proud of me and if your parents aren't proud, then something is wrong. A "B" is nothing at all to be ashamed of. If you think that some HR person at a job interview is going to pull your file up and say, "Ooh. I see you got 4 B's in your sophomore year in high school, we can't hire you," that's just ridiculous.

Now, if you believe that the MBP is harboring your grades in any way, try and limit yourself from it. Instead of doing your homework in your room near your MBP, do it in the dining room or the living room with nothing on. Me, personally, I go nuts if I don't have some sort of noise in the room I'm in while I'm studying. I think I'm a little OCD in that I need noise.

Another limiting thing might be to use your MBP for only internet and reports and the like on weeknights. That might cut out a significant portion of your MBP usage, which it would do to me with my iBook.

Honestly, don't fret about it. It's not going to haunt you for the rest of your life.

And here I thought this thread was going to be about D's and F's.:rolleyes:
 
the same thing happened to me when i went to college last year, my grades dropped and i was once one of the top students at my high school. you say you are still a soph, so honestly try and take a breather. dont take as many classes, take classes you are interested in, and definitely stay off of the computer long enought to do your hw.

its only high school, it only gets harder and w/e grades you got in middle school dont mean anything. you cannot make up for any grades you have already recieved, but you do have control right now over the grades you will get. keep your chin up
 
The #1 thing to remember is that grades are not the ONLY thing that gets you into universities.

What about extracurriculars? Are you the head/president of an organization? That alone can offset "bad" grades. That said, I say anything higher than 3.6-3.7 (unweighted) is already in safe territory. Besides, one bad semester isn't a bad thing, but if you have two semesters like that in a row, just be more careful.

You still got 2 more years, and you're not even in college yet. Trust me when I say this, the stress you feel in college over grades is considerably greater, so...relax :D
 
lu0s3r322 said:
I just recieved 4 B's for my semester grades out of 6 classes and I really push myself at school. My parents want to me to do well and so do I, but this did nothing for my confidence. A B might not seem bad for some people but for me, I've always gotten straight A's till this yr (soph. in high school). I don't know what to do. Next semester I have even more classes and I'm going into it very uncertain.

I just got a MBP too and my parents will think that it has lowered my grades because I am using it all the time.
Click to expand...

Well, first you need to diagnose the problem. What's the cause of the lower grades? Harder classes, substandard work, lower test scores, tougher teachers? Secondly, you should set aside a fixed period of time to use the computer to attack the problem and *show* your parents that you're doing that. It may well be that you're slacking off because you're on the computer all the time- we simply don't know enough to say. Thirdly, ask your teachers what they think the problem is-- they're the ones giving the grades and are the most likely to be of assistance in diagnosing the problem.
 
B's aren't bad. They are "above average". C's aren't bad either. They are "average".

Your situation is part of a larger problem in this country. Grade inflation. Kid's are so used to getting A's in elementary school and middle school (because it is so easy), that when they get a B or C in high school (a bit tougher), they panic. When some kids panic, they complain to their parents (not saying you are), then the parents complain to the teacher. They explain that their kids have been straight A students until this point, so obviously something must be wrong with the teacher. The teacher changes the grade because the parent is being a pain in the ass, and then the situation only gets worse.

An A means nothing to me. It's so easy to get. College is so easy it's a joke to me. I got an A in a class that I believe I wrote sub-standard essays in and only occassionally did my reading. I didn't deserve an A, and certainly wouldn't have gotten one in any other country.

The changes need to start at the bottom. Teachers need to stop giving out A's so easily. Kids need to be taught that a C isn't a bad thing, and a B is a great grade. A's should only be reserved for exceptional and amazing work.
 
it5five said:
B's aren't bad. They are "above average". C's aren't bad either. They are "average".

Your situation is part of a larger problem in this country. Grade inflation. Kid's are so used to getting A's in elementary school and middle school (because it is so easy), that when they get a B or C in high school (a bit tougher), they panic. When some kids panic, they complain to their parents (not saying you are), then the parents complain to the teacher. They explain that their kids have been straight A students until this point, so obviously something must be wrong with the teacher. The teacher changes the grade because the parent is being a pain in the ass, and then the situation only gets worse.

An A means nothing to me. It's so easy to get. College is so easy it's a joke to me. I got an A in a class that I believe I wrote sub-standard essays in and only occassionally did my reading. I didn't deserve an A, and certainly wouldn't have gotten one in any other country.

The changes need to start at the bottom. Teachers need to stop giving out A's so easily. Kids need to be taught that a C isn't a bad thing, and a B is a great grade. A's should only be reserved for exceptional and amazing work.
Click to expand...

agreed.
 
mac-er said:
Life lesson #104: Your grades in high school will be meaningless 3 years from now. (unless you flunk out). High school itself will be meaningless in 3 years too.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Do your absolute best. Scholarships from high school got me college opportunities that wouldn't have existed otherwise. That then opened up other opportunities. Just do your best as long as you are healthy about it.
 
it5five said:
B's aren't bad. They are "above average". C's aren't bad either. They are "average".

Your situation is part of a larger problem in this country. Grade inflation. Kid's are so used to getting A's in elementary school and middle school (because it is so easy), that when they get a B or C in high school (a bit tougher), they panic. When some kids panic, they complain to their parents (not saying you are), then the parents complain to the teacher. They explain that their kids have been straight A students until this point, so obviously something must be wrong with the teacher. The teacher changes the grade because the parent is being a pain in the ass, and then the situation only gets worse.

An A means nothing to me. It's so easy to get. College is so easy it's a joke to me. I got an A in a class that I believe I wrote sub-standard essays in and only occassionally did my reading. I didn't deserve an A, and certainly wouldn't have gotten one in any other country.

The changes need to start at the bottom. Teachers need to stop giving out A's so easily. Kids need to be taught that a C isn't a bad thing, and a B is a great grade. A's should only be reserved for exceptional and amazing work.
Click to expand...

Yep, totally agree. It's amazing seeing the reaction here when the Uni students from the US get their marks back and their 20+ points lower than they were used to.

Average here means 50. If you satisfy the minimum requirements of the course you get 50. To get a 90 in an exam or final course result basically means you're an absolute genius in it. Most people are in an around the 70 region and you have to work your arse off to get there. When you do get a ~70 you jump around with joy because it's a damned good mark.
 
Easiest question of the day.

My answer: Study more and stay off the computer....

Study 2 hours take a 30 minute break and then study 2 more hours. Then you should be done with your work. That is if you really study during your study time.

If you want to make all A's or a higher GPA then you have to truly care about that more than anything. You will realize as you go on that it is a real sacrafice to make all A's and not some easy thing.
 
Depending on what profession you are going in, HS grades actually DO matter because on the AAMCAS and AADSA(?) applications both ask for you HS GPA as well as ranking. Medical/Dental school applications respectively.
 
So long as your grades are good enough to get into college (which doesn't take that much) high school grades really don't matter.
 
Don't worry too much! I had essentially a C average when I left school and wouldn't have gotten into most good courses. 4 years later and I am close to finishing my psychology degree. There are always other avenues to get to do what you want to do
 
pay attention in class, it beats studying all the time. make sure you listen and understand every concept. You can loose that way.
 
Don't sweat it, you have two years to compensate for (by your considerations) poor grades. If you learn from you mistakes and curb use of the macbook, then I'm sure you'll do better. Colleges will ignore B's if they're blindsided by spectacular grades in later, more advanced classes.
 
A lot of people get straight A's in high school and then struggle to get any A's in college. It depends on a lot of factors, but if you're doing the best you can, then it'll be fine. If you're parents are upset over B's, then they're overreacting. If you're trying to get into MIT, then maybe it's a problem, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it. If you're doing your homework and managing your time well (i.e. not playing world of warcraft ALL weekend), then you'll be okay.
 
I going to go with the answer do not sweat it. B's are good and it is will high school. In the end it means very little. Hell after about 15 college hours Colleges no long give a damn about your HS GPA. After you complete 15 hours or so your high school GPA is worthless to colleges since you have proof on about how well you will do at the college level. I seen people who graduated in the top 10% flunk out of college and then I have seen students in the bottom 1/2 do extremely well in harder majors and get several honors as well.

Just relax and cool off.
Hell it more than likely a good think you got your Bs because you are no long an A making robot. Taking the hit now is a lot easier to take than when you are in college and you WILL take the hit. More importantly please learn grades are not everything. Make sure you have some type of life and have fun because with out that you will suffer burn out and just crash and burn. Have a 4.0 is not worth it if you do not get out and have some fun. And please do not try the excuse I will have fun after I get my job or next step because it will never happen. The most free time you have is right now and make it a point to have fun.
 
I was/am in a similiar situation, I have been in the "gifted program" since 1 st grade and I always got A B through middleschool, with occasional straight As. Than i entered highschool, this year, my math class was college algebra and i have never been fond of math. I got a 77 and my boat sunk. I than got a 79% in spanish 3, though the teacher horrible, I was the only frshman in the class, and she had a "you cant be as good attitude". I got my As and bs in the rest of the classes but, i felt horrible. I jsut tell myself, im taking Hard Classes, im doing reasonably well, I participate in alot of school activities, and i did well on my finals.
 
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