<p>My GPA as you can see is very low but my ACT score is good, I received a 30 on the second try.
I am African-American, if that even makes a difference. I did take honors classes;
1 in 9th grade, 3 in 10th, 3 honors and 2 APs in 11th grade. It's to be noted that I did receive As in those two AP
classes.</p>
<p>I plan on majoring in Computer Science and I reside in PA, the colleges I'm looking at include:
UMD-College Park
Penn State
Virginia Tech
UT-Austin
Rice Univ. (Over Reach) :((</p>
<p>As far as the GPA goes I do have somewhat of a valid reason for not being able to attain a higher average.
Just before entering high school my step-mom and dad decided to get a divorce and the same year my dad decides to move to Puerto Rico to get his master's in nurse's anesthesiology. My step-mom and I don't exactly get along so I moved in with my Aunt and her two kids. That freshmen year I got a 3.3 overall gpa, the next year after adjusting I was able to attain a 3.5 (not that good though). In my junior year I looked to maintain my upward trend and I even achieved straight As in the third marking period with a total of 2 APs and all honors. But in the final months of school, my Aunt decided to move back to Michigan, with my dad not wanting me to switch schools, I was left living alone in the apartment for 3 months until he could finish the last few months of his degree program. In those last 3 months I had to worry about things I never had to think about, such as buying my own groceries, cooking my own meals, etc. As you can tell my gpa and final exams tanked, though I was able to adequately prepare for the ACTs. I know this doesn't really make up for my low gpa as others have done far better with far worst conditions. But this and a little bit of procrastination is how I can explain the gpa to college admissions.</p>
<p>That being said, with my story and ACT scores, do I have a shot at any of the Universities listed?
Feel free to recommend other schools as-well. Thank-you.</p>