ACT score 36, but Weighted GPA only 3.5

I’m currently a junior in high school, and due to a messed up semester sophomore year, I currently have a 3.5 GPA (weighted), with a 2.6 unweighted. Because of the 5 AP classes I’m taking this year, I’ll be able to end the year with a 3.86 weighted GPA, and a 2.8 unweighted. Although that would likely prevent me from getting into any exceptional college, I got a perfect score (36) on the ACT, however I’m not sure how much that helps.

What colleges (genuinely good ones, not average) do I have a chance of getting into, and how high of a chance is that?

Also, will a college look at my transcript and see that the only bad grades I got were second semester sophomore year? Or do they just look at GPA?

GPA is by far the most important part of college admissions. Saying that though, straight As Junior and Senior year go a long way towards rectifying bad grades. This is an unpopular opinion but I believe that someone with a 36 ACT and straight As Junior and Senior year (along with a good rigor/Ecs/essays/etc) has a really decent shot at all schools except the really elite ones (top 30 or so). Schools in the 30-70 range would probably look at a candidate who’s currently performing as good/better than a typical Ivy Leaguer and see that as a steal no matter how bad pre-junior year grades were.

Do you have a good reason for the terrible semester (health issues, family problems, etc)? Sometimes your GC can put a note in their rec if that is the case. You may need to apply to a pretty wide range of schools, and be sure to show interest to the ones that care about it.

Thanks, @Alundari . I’m hoping that’s the case. Do you happen to know of any specific schools that you think would be options for me given the situation?

A low GPA and high test scores tends to look like a lack of commitment and effort, so I would look for some strong teacher recommendations to hopefully counter those! Your essays and ec’s should hopefully show passion and motivation to prove you are not the slacker that your transcript alone might look like. If those are strong and you keep your junior and senior grades up in difficult classes, you should be a good contender for top schools.

Hmm, depends @staticelectric If you are hooked (Athlete>URM>Legacy>First-gen) you could really set yourself apart at elite LACs or homogeneous schools like Uwisconcin, UMaryland, Uconn, etc.

If you are not hooked but have a strong rest of application, take a shot at the big publics. Maybe UVA and Umich will be really tough (they really emphasize gpa) but maybe a UC santa barbara, UFlorida, UGeorgia, UIUC will take a shot at a kid like you because of the increased amount that they have to accept.

If you are both hooked and have a solid app, take a shot or two at schools like Emory or USC

If you are not hooked and your app isn’t particularly strong, try to get a full ride to your state school, work hard, and then just transfer out or go to an elite gradschool.

While there are test optional schools there are no GPA optional schools.

Your stats say that you area brilliant person who breezed through high school without really trying.

What do you want to major in, and do you need aid?

Not all public flagships are good prospects for you, since some are very GPA-focused. Others will be much more forgiving, especially with a rigorous curriculum and outstanding ACT score. I know that some colleges have guaranteed admissions for certain scores. They are worth looking at.
The good news is that the majority of four-year colleges will take one look at your ACT score, and will practically beg you to attend.
I would recommend that you automatically forget about the “Top 20” (or 30, or whatever). They have so many qualified applicants that your test score won’t compensate for a lackluster GPA.
What do you want? Are finances a major consideration? What sort of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Most colleges want to juice their stats, and a perfect test score is very appealing. There are thousands of four-year colleges. Your GPA is probably too low for several dozen of them. You should try to select a range of schools outside that small group.
Do you want large or small? Urban, rural, or suburban? Any particular climate? Do you have special interests?
I can make suggestions if you give me a little more to work with.