am i dreaming too high?

<p>Out of State
SAT: 2210 (720CR, 780M, 710W, 10E)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Freshman (3.33) Sophomore (3.79) Junior (4) Overall: 3.70
Weighted GPA: Freshman (3.33) Sophomore (4.07) Junior (4.71) Overall: 4.32
AP (grade on Exam): Computer Science (1) World History (5) Statistics (4) Chemistry (4) U.S. History (5) English (4)
Total Number of AP's (until Junior Year) : 6
Senior Course load: AP's with 1 or 2 honors
Extracurricular: Chess Club, Computer Club, Debate Team, French Club, Model U.N., National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Science Olympiad, Lots of Community Service at Local Hospital, and 1 year of Job Experience, LOTS OF BASKETBALL
Awards: 3rd Place at Science Fair Regional (10th), 1st Place Science Fair Regional (11th) Awards for Student of the Year in Various Classes
State: Virginia
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Hooks : First Generation, how in India we started a organization that teaches young children about the western lifestyle and tries molding them into good citizens (i teach every summer since 8th grade)</p>

<p>I know my freshman years grades sucked and that has affected my total gpa HOWEVER there is a significant increase in GPA since then..do you think admissions would consider this growth as an advantage??</p>

<p>Many colleges will cut you some slack for poor freshmen grades. There are no guarantees of course, but you look like a good match.</p>

<p>This post was in the CMU college admissions rep College Confidential link awhile ago, “While we do look at the Freshman year grades, we typically recalculate their gpa and examine grade trends using 10th, 11th and mid-year 12th academic record. In some cases we will weigh freshman grades more heavily when looking at special circumstances (health issues, drop off or increase in grades, etc.)” They told my son the same thing-i.e. they calculate the GPA without the Freshman grades. So consider that fortunate for you!</p>

<p>My unweighted cumulative high school GPA was a 2.9 due to horrible grades freshman and also sophomore year, and I got in. Actually just graduated last weekend. However, I was applying in CFA, which considers your portfolio more strongly than your grades. I also had a high SAT score, really good essay, and strong teacher recs. If you think your unweighted 3.7 (lol gimme a break) is going to keep you out of CMU, then you’re being paranoid. CMU in particular is really good at looking beyond just straight up numbers and at all qualities of the student, so pay lots of attention to your essay and choose your teachers for teacher recs wisely. They also like the upward trend of grades. You’d have way more of a problem if your earlier grades were high and then got lower.</p>

<p>What happened on your computer science AP? That will hurt you (if you report it) if you are hoping to get into scs…</p>

<p>yea the comp sci grade is weird. what school are u applying to?</p>