the difficulty of the classes you’ve taken and the overal reputation of your school. (If it’s a school that hands out A’s on a regular basis, and you’re gettind D’s, that looks bad.)

your SAT/ACT scores

the competitiveness of the school you want to attend

Your parents may be trying to “scare” you, or they may be misinformed. They may also be concerned about money. IF money is an issue, they have a legitimate concern. With a 3.7 or similar GPA, you might merit some scholarship dough. If not, they might have to foot the whole bill–or you might have to take out serious loans.

Good luck.

Consider in-state. Even if you hate Louisiana, there’s something to be said about an affordable public education. . . and if you just want to “get out,” well, Louisiana is a large state with many public universities. There may well be one that fits you.

http://school.familyeducation.com/college-prep/gifted-education/40705.html

http://www.myfootpath.com/CollegePrep/YourGPA.php

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/000073.htm

Colleges and universities also take into consideration extra curricular activities, leadership, outside activities, you application letter, test scores, teacher/community member recommendations, etc.

BTW: Who is “They” ???