Can I **please** get more than one reply???

Applying to College
1

<p>Ok, so here's the deal ..</p>

<p>Freshman year: 1.0 GPA (my dad died 2 days before school started)
Sophmore Year: 2.0 GPA (my mom remarried this year and I was depressed)
Jr. Year: 4.25 GPA
Senior year: 4.5 GPA</p>

<p>Those four years round up to a 3.0 GPA.
But here's the catch: When colleges are making the decision on wrether to Accept or Reject you ..they only get to see your Freshman through Jr. year grades because you send your stuff in at the BEGINNING of Senior year.</p>

<p>MY FRESHMAN THROUGH JR. YEAR GRADES ONLY AVERAGE UP TO A 2.5 GPA. ..I NEED for them to see my senior year for even the SLIGHTEST chance of acceptance. What do I do???</p>

<p>Howard University is my DREAM college.</p>

<p>Here are my EC's:</p>

<p>Mock Trial - 3 years - Outstanding Attorney Award
Debate Team - 1 year
NAACP Youth Council - 4 years - Treasurer
DECA - 2 years
Show Choir - 2 years
Cross Country - 2 years - JV
Track - 2 years - JV
National Honor Society - 1 year (senior year)
American Cancer Society - 3 years - Treasurer
Environmental Club - 3 years - Vice President
Character Counts - 3 years
Key Club - 3 years
Black Teen Summit - 4 years
Literary Magazine Editing Board - 3 years
Study Buddies - 3 years
High Fashion Modeling - 4 years+</p>

<p>Volunteered at all local Special Olypmic events
Volunteered at all local Senior Olympic Events
Volunteered at Blank Park Zoo over the summer
Volunteered at Iowa State Fair
Volunteered at Juneteenth
Summer job at Hy-Vee</p>

<p>Participated in 12.6 mile long bike marathon
Participated in 6 mile long road race.
Participated in 4 mile long running marathon.
..SEVERAL marathons (over 15), too many to type.</p>

<p>ACT: 34</p>

<p>I'm a female Ethiopian-American. Neither of my Parents went to college, nor did any of my brothers and sisters. I want to go to Howard University really bad.</p>

<p>I'm scared, and ****ed. Please tell me what to do... I want the flat out TRUTH. Please don't sugarcoat things for me by saying things like "anything is possible" or "you'll never know if you don't try". Just tell me: Do I have a chance, or not?</p>

<p>Because I'm really not in the mood, this is my future. </p>

<p>Oh! ..And please don't give me an answer like "I think so" ...WHY do you think so?</p>

<p>Thanks,
SomeGirl</p>

2

<p>yes you have a chance, and you have a good excuse for bad grades in the beginning. your act score is really high and your social background will always be a plus. all you really have to do is vouch for your freshman and sophomore grades and trust me, you have a good excuse, and the officers will be sympathetic. dont be scared just do your best, it really is unfortunate when things like that happen and its not fair for them to just ignore that. u seem like you would be able to write a good essay, you have the scores, the extra-currics, and u have a strong upward trend in grades along with a good excuse. you will still send them your senior year grades so don't think they wont be considered, they are. good luck</p>

3

<p>You are going to really need a good essay. I think you have a pretty good chance at Howard with a 34 ACT and such an upward trend despite the difficulties you faced. You're essay is going to be the most important part of you're application, though.</p>

4

<p>hah calm down your stressing yourself... Howard is usually leniant for family matters. You DO have to however 1. try to convey the death of your father and your moms divorce in your ESSAY. 2. If defered or flat out rejected, send them a letter explaning the situation, however try to convey that in both your essay and app. 3. Your 34 ACT is way above Howards Average and if i remmeber correctly, Howard has an average GPA of 3.2, so even if you DIDN't mention anything in your app, you still have an above average chance of getting in. Of course Opinions differ so take my advice with a grain of salt.</p>

5

<p>i think the amazing upward trend of your grades will totally help you out. it shows that your'e not just lazy, but had some outside of school issues.</p>

6

<p>Also, I don't understand why Fuzzylogic2525 said that you have to convey the death of your father and your mom's divorce in your essay. Maybe it's his/her fuzzy logic. Write whatever you think conveys you. I read that essays tend to be better when they're written in a short time, because it captures your thoughts, rather than spending forever agonizing over everything. But don't take that statement too literally.</p>

7

<p>The reason is that if you don't tell them, they wouldn't realize that something tragic happened, of course the low first and second year grades might give them a hint, however they might discredit that to laziness or the like and the only way to tell them other then straight up sending them a letter is through your essay.... that is what a personal statement is for.....
again my opinion take it with a grain of salt.</p>

8

<p>What is that GPA out of? GPA usually goes up to a 4.</p>

9

<p>I agree with Fuzzy -- you don't have to go into detail nor do you need to make it the whole subject of your essay -- but a mention of a tragedy in the immediate family in your fresh/soph year will explain your grades. </p>

<p>Also, keep in mind, many schools don't pay that much attention to freshman year grades. I don't know when your semester ends and when Howard (and other schools) have their application deadlines -- but it COULD be possible for you to have your 1st semester/senior year grades by the time you submit your application. If not, you will have a pretty good idea -- and if those grades are as stellar as your jr year, you should also mention that in your essay. </p>

<p>Bottom line, don't despair. Your grades from jr/sr year are/will be outstanding. Your ECs rock. Your ACT score rocks. Take the SAT (prepare over the summer with books/online courses.) Work on your application with a counselor -- or ask someone on the parents forum to help you out (many students do, you should too if feel you don't have a good advisor.) Write a good essay. Make a major effort to interview with a Howard rep. Something tells me if you do all that... you'll be a Howard freshman come fall '09.</p>

10

<p>Fuzzylogic2525: What you said isn't true. Telling stuff about why your grades are lower is not what a personal statement is for. A personal statement is for a personal statement, which is a composition in which you tell colleges more about yourself. It's not for explaining why you got a bad grade or anything like that. For that, you would explain in the Additional Information section of your college applications. Now that's what Additional Information is for. I hope my explanation cleared it up.</p>

11

<p>maybe you shouldn't 1) beg 2) be on the wrong forum</p>

12

<p>@dchow08: My cousin goes to NYU stern and her mom/my aunt got cancer in 2004, she put that in her personal statement, as far as I know that is EXACTLy what a personal statement is for, I not saying it's supposed to be all about your personal problems, you can still put the I'm very hard working, i don't think diversity is diverse enough etc....</p>

<p>btw I don't want to affend anyone (especially Mr. dchow08) in any way whatsoever with my posts, so if I seem a little blunt or anyother feeling you might come up with about me, I sincerely apologize and it is not my intention to. I'm just trying to clear this all up. =]</p>

13

<p>I wrote about why my grades were so slow frosh/soph/junior year in my transfer applications as an additional essay, and it definitely helped. I didn't have amazing college grades (3.65) but I got into Wesleyan and Boston College. I think it is important to talk about it, but make it an addition to your application and talk about something else in the Common App one.</p>