Pocket Strikes

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why marx loved to sloosh down the austrian alps

ok freshman year of highschool i got one bad grade, F, then i took summer school to make up for it. other than that i have a 3.08 GPA and am in football and a few other recreation sports. what are my chances of going on to college? what colleges will accept me? any advice?

There is always a way in!

While an "F" isn’t the best grade to get, it is better that it happened your Freshman year of high school instead of your senior year! I’m not certain what grade you are in now but I will assume you will be a senior.

There are some things that you can do now to improve your chances at getting into college. Take the SAT if you haven’t already — if you are a Junior, take it once this year and once your Senior year. Just knowing what to expect on the SAT test can actually improve your score.

Get involved in community service — volunteer at the local food pantry, the library, the humane society — do something to show colleges that you are independent. Leadership roles are a great idea, too, if that is something that you are interested in and can handle. Think "quality" not "quantity" — colleges can tell if you are beefing up your activities just to make it look good.

Consider a pre-college summer program — there are a variety of programs out there, there’s surely something to fit you! There are college-offered and nonprofit institution-offered programs. If there’s a couple of career paths you are interested in, they can help you narrow it down and even gain college credit.

If there is a college you are interested in, after the campus visit, talk to the admissions rep. Let them know how bad you want in, and see what you need to do.

Your GPA isn’t the only thing to help you get in — there’s the SAT/ACT, your extracurricular involvement, the college personal statement/essay, letters of recommendation, community service, leadership roles, the college interview…you’ve got options!