I have been extremely worried about my chances of admission due to my low freshman year grades, my freshman year I was dealing with depression & a lot of family issues which led to me getting around a 75-77 average. Sophomore year I was able to get a 92 average, and my junior year I got it up to around 99. My cumulative GPA is now an 88 which really sucks because I believe that my freshman year wasn’t a good reflection of who I was as a student. I scored a 1390 on my first SAT and plan on retaking it to get at least a 1450. I’ve also participated in a number of academic clubs and play basketball and soccer at my school. What do you guys think are my chances of getting into a decent private school?
Also I’d like to mention that I’ve taken 5 AP’s including AP English, AP Lit, AP Chem, AP Calculus, and AP Gov. All of my other classes throughout HS have been honors classes with the exception of Spanish.
Your chances of getting into a “decent private school” are excellent. An upward trend from freshman year looks better than burning out in junior year. I see you’re taking some very rigorous classes and doing well in those, which helps you too. Maintain that momentum through senior year.
If your depression was officially diagnosed by a doctor, you can ask your GC to mention in his/her LOR that you struggled medically in your first year, so that year wasn’t a true representation of your abilities. He or she can also mention family struggles, if they were aware of them at the time it was happening (coming up with “family troubles” retroactively to explain poor performance to your GC could damage your credibility, which is one of the reasons why students should consider keeping these folks posted when outside troubles start to have academic effects).
Some colleges don’t consider freshman year grades at all. I wouldn’t narrow your college search on that basis alone. However, if you have a list and do your research well, knowing that might help you let go of some of the stress.
Good luck!