Any schools I could have a shot with a "grades low then to super high" strat./story?

<p>Yeah, my weighted and unweighted is still going to be very low, but I had something around a 2.8gpa my freshman year, 1.7 sophomore, and 3.6 this junior year, now entering senior year and taking college courses right now to bring it up a tad, hoping this will make colleges see the huge change I've done. My ACT score was a 19, but I'm taking that again for the next date coming up, and my SAT was in the 50th percentile, so I guess average on that, around a 1600(new SAT) combined score. I'm hoping to boost that by a LOT and get a significant increase. I play a ton of music, mainly rock and other weirder stuff, hoping to bring a good band to whichever college I attend. Politically active, huge writer, I've got countless things in my personality... I'm just not that well informed on which colleges go for the student itself rather then scores, I'm smart but not great at showing it on tests. I'd kill to get into University of Chicago, being from Chicago, it'd be great to go back... But yes, can anyone give me and advice/suggestions/recommendations?</p>

<p>I know someone can give me some good advice on here</p>

<p>what the hell happened 2 u sophmore year????</p>

<p>try looking at depaul or loyola chicago</p>

<p>Eh, arrested and then a bad case of depression</p>

<p>o dam.... u know u have to include that stuff in ur application. maybe u can write ur essay about how much that experience has changed u.</p>

<p>well i think u should also look at illinois state ( i have no clue if thats close to chicago) and university of illinois-chicago in addition to the others i posted. </p>

<p>do u just wanna stay in chicago or is there anywhere else u'd like to go??? also, what r u thinking about majoring in?? or do u wanna go undecided???</p>

<p>do you really want to write that you were arrested as a sophomore in high school? obviously i dont know the entire story, and unless it was for being at a protest where the cops went crazy or something, are you sure you want to let colleges know? or maybe they would find out some other way, like through recs or records or something. i have absolutely no idea...so im just asking questions.</p>

<p>"I'd kill to get into University of Chicago"
Um, that mixed with your criminal record and...
<em>Slowly backs away, turns, and runs</em>
Just curious, what did you do? Drugs?</p>

<p>"which colleges go for the student itself rather then scores,"
Many colleges say this. The selective ones care about scores, and the others dont as much, but mostly out of circumstance, ie their applicant pool is not as strong. </p>

<p>I highly doubt you have a chance at UChicago. I would say none. Commence flaming me for ruining his dreams.</p>

<p>I'd say the chances are slim, but write a stunning essay--you're clearly articulate, judging from your posts--and apply anyway. Make sure you have enough matches and safeties, though, because your academic record is far below Chicago's average.</p>

<p>Yeah, it was marijuana. I was a complete hermit freshman year, then started experimenting with the wrong things, joined the wrong crowd, and bam, arrested. Took a bad fork in the road but I've realized my actual abilities and am taking advantage of them like crazy. Thanks for the realisations though! I have some safeties instate here(South Carolina). College of Charleston, USC-Columbia, and a few others my guidance counselor told me I'd get into</p>

<p>yeah but u have to put that in ur application because at least all the applications i filled out asked me if i had been arrested or suspended or something like that</p>

<p>ps. usc columbia is really nice</p>

<p>illinois state and uic WILL be reaches, looks like northeastern might be the best fit for you, its in chicago</p>

<p>the last time i checked, northeastern was in massachusetts and northwestern was in evanston, ill.</p>

<p>Robk, colleges technically ARE NOT allowed to ask you if you've ever been arrested. Although, they can ask you if you've been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. I know that on job applications it's illegal for the company to inquire about arrest history but not about conviction history. So, if I were you, I wouldn't mention the arrest (you may want to make certain I'm right about this, but I'm pretty sure).</p>

<p>we call it northeastern in chicago i guess its actually "Northeastern Illinois University" <a href="http://www.neiu.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.neiu.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>