This may be somewhat long. Freshman year and eighth grade I suffered concussions and it left me with a mental fog the enterity of my first year of high school. Worst gpa that I had ever got up to that point, 3.14, unweighted of course, but I did manage to get a four on the ap gov test without any prior studying. But now the mental fog has went away and I got a 4.0 unweighted this first quarter and my gpa averages out to where if you get a B and A it’s an A. B 79.5 to 89.4 A following the same way. No plus minus etc. I’m pretty bright I’d say before that I had a 4.0 in middle school. Also if this helps to showcase any potential I managed to get a 1260 on the psat probably could’ve been better though did some dumb mistakes. Taking one ap right now being apush and four next year. Also I have an aunt who works at Columbia and went there for her Bacherlors and masters if that is of any interest. Sorry for the way this is formatted, typing this on my phone. Thanks
You had a medical issue to explain your grade drop. Also, colleges like to see upward trends. You are totally fine. Idk if your aunt counts for legacy. Depends on the school but generally it has to be sibling/parent/grandparent.
While colleges do like to see an upward trend, if you read on CC long enough you will learn how thousands of perfect GPA students (with stellar SAT/ACT scores and incredible EC’s) regularly get rejected from ivies. Unless you are a UM or recruited athlete I wouldn’t get my hopes up for an ivy.
@hopedaisy The reason they get rejected isn’t because of their stats, its because they lack a hook and are almost identical to other applicants. If they get rejected, as long as they maintain their current gpa, it will NOT be because of their grades/gpa.
Hey thanks the response. Does UM mean underrepresented minority? If so then yes I am, I’m half Filipino half Puerto Rican with the Puerto Rican side being mulatto (half black half European). What should I put for my race/ethnicity on my applications?
Up to you, you can put multiple, just one, or leave it blank.
FYI it is unclear whether or not Filipinos are URM (and European is obv not). Generally, I think they aren’t URM because they are put under the Asian category but it will vary from school to school because they are less populous than other Asians.
Honestly, I would choose multiple and then specify it further. I believe that is your best shot for being considered URM (though still unlikely).