<p>I'm a rising senior, and Georgetown and West Point are probably my top schools right now. But unfortunately, my counselor said that they are my reach schools. If you have any tips on how to improve my chances, that would be great (and I would forever owe you a favor)! I could chance you back too if you want me too.</p>
<p>SAT IIs
U.S. History - 800
Math I - 740
Math II - 720
World History - 800</p>
<p>SAT
2160
2340</p>
<p>GPA (Out of 4.5)
Freshman: 3.7
Sophomore: 2.6
Junior: 4.1
I'm explaining to colleges on the Common App why there is a sudden dip in my grades.</p>
<p>APs (11th and 12th grade combined)
AP U.S. History
AP European History
AP Latin: Virgil
AP Biology
AP Statistics
AP English Language
AP U.S. Government & Politics</p>
<p>Other Relevant (?) Classes
Economics
Business Principles and Management</p>
<p>Great test scores and course rigor. It’s definitely going to help being able to explain the dip in your GPA, and to be honest, it will cause some extent of an effect on your admission process. However, you made a major improvement in your junior year which most schools focus on the most.</p>
<p>@Darianisokay thank you.
I just have a question for anyone in general: how much will my sophomore year disaster grades hurt my chances?
I <em>think</em> I can explain fully of what happened, and it was something that I learned a lot from. My counselor and the teachers writing my recommendations also know of what happened, and they will also note it on their recommendations. Will this be helpful?</p>
<p>For West Point, it will depend on several things: 1) How competitive is your district? 2) What your overall GPA is. What is your weighted and unweighted cumulative GPA converted on a 4.0 scale? 3) The lack of a Varsity letter could hurt 4) Depending on what the “Teenager Problems” are, that could be a detriment in the eyes of the Academy. Also remember, a letter of recommendation now is not the same as a nomination. Most nominations are not given until later in the fall and there is typically a nomination board that may require an interview first.</p>
<p>Very impressive extra curriculars. Just try explaining your dip in grades. I think they might overlook it.
Georgetown seems good maybe a low reach while I’m being extremely pessimistic so that you don’t get upset if they reject you. Grades do matter a lot but if your reason is valid they will take it as a plus point that you pulled up your grades. Best of Luck though!</p>
<p>@MidwesternHeart Hey, thanks for the reply. My answers to address your points:
My district is pretty competitive, unfortunately.
My unweighted GPA is around 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. The weighted GPA for my school is on a 4.5 scale, which is listed on my original post. Here is the breakdown for how my school calculates student GPAs (unweighted):
A: 4.0
B+: 3.5
B: 3.0
C+: 2.5
C: 2.0
D+: 1.5
D: 1.0
Yea, I’m not athletic as I was before. Does West Point put a lot of emphasis on sports? I do a lot of sports outside of school, if they will take that into consideration.
I have contacted my district’s Congressman and my state’s two Senators, so we’ll see how it goes.
Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>For what it is worth, obtaining a congressional nomination to West Point is not especially difficult. Nor does your family need to be “connected” to your representative. A lot of people find it intimidating to contact their congressman or Senator. Obviously that is not a problem for you.</p>
<p>The hard part is actually convincing West Point that you can handle both the academic and military demands there.</p>
<p>Yes, you need to be involved in sports. 90% of cadets at West Point were varsity athletes in high school. Participation outside of that is not as impressive, but your Taekwondo black belt might be a major help.</p>
<p>West Point is a reach for everybody. The only way to know your chances is to apply. I think you are a solid candidate.</p>
<p>As NROTCgrad mentions, being a Varsity Letterman, especially in a team sport, is looked favorably by USMA. Over 1000 of 1100 students for an incoming class would have a Varsity letter. The black belt will help, as they usually give this one Varsity Letter equivalency. Is it possible to get into West Point without one? Of course, but you’ll especially want killer CFA scores Your class rank is probably more important than your GPA. USMA uses the a Whole Candidate Score -which is made up as follows: 60% academic, 30% leadership and 10% PAE. The 60% academic is comprised of the SAT/ACTs, the candidate’s transcript and the level of difficulty of courses the candidate has taken, and the level of competitiveness of the candidate’s school. The 30% leadership comes from extracurricular activities, athletic activities, community service activities, teacher recommendations and the interview conducted by the field force officer. The 10% PAE is the CFA test (physical fitness). Again, depending on the “issues” that cause your grades to have a sharp decline in Sophomore year, you will want to be very careful of how you and your recommenders may present these issues to the board. </p>
<p>@NROTCgrad Thank your for the information and your personal input. I am going to improve the athletics aspect of my application by hopefully making it into Varsity Cross Country next year. Fingers crossed! </p>
<p>@MidwesternHeart Unfortunately, my school does not rank its students (nor do we have a valedictorian/salutatorian). What classes do you recommend me taking next year, besides the ones I’ve listed above?
The dip in my grades and my explanation to the dip are two things that I’m worried about, because I heard that there are some things that Admissions Officers frown upon (the Four D’s: depression, divorce, drugs, dating), and to be completely honest with you, I’ve had depression and eating disorder from 8th to early 11th grade, in which they became the worst during 10th grade when my parents struggled financially and emotionally.
Many other things also happened, but overall I think I have recovered from that experience faster than I expected, given that I am now able to talk about more openly about it with others, and pick up my academics. I’m worried that explaining this aspect to colleges will make me look like a psychologically unstable freak who is unable to function properly, especially to West Point since military school has that “tough kid” image to it.</p>
<p>With all honesty, I seriously doubt that West Point will be an option for you. Eating disorders post age 13 are disqualifying medical condition and extremely unlikely to be waived. I really think you should turn your attention to your dreams of Georgetown or other colleges that could be a good fit academically and financially for you. </p>
<p>If your depression and eating disorder were not treated by a doctor, then they might not count. Let me be clear. Only a professional is qualified to determine whether you are depressed or merely discouraged, sad, or grieving. True depression is a medical condition, and ONLY a doctor can diagnose it – not a counselor, nor teacher, and certainly not yourself nor your parents. Same is true of eating disorders.</p>
<p>Personally, I believe that nobody should ever disqualify themselves for something they want. If you want to attend Georgetown and West Point, then you should apply. Then let THEM determine if you are good enough. Your job is to apply. Their job is to evaluate.</p>
<p>Have a great backup plan. Georgetown and West Point are extremely difficult to get into. Even highly accomplished students get rejected frequently. So apply to at least a couple of ordinary colleges (that you like!) in order to ensure that you do get admitted somewhere.</p>
<p>Also, specifically as a backup to West Point, you should consider applying for the Army ROTC scholarship. The standards are definitely lower than for West Point. Many students rejected by West Point get ROTC scholarships. Almost all good colleges, including Georgetown, have Army ROTC.</p>
<p>@MidwesternHeart Thank you I did not know that age had an effect on medical diagnosis in college admissions. I will reconsider my college options now, thank you for letting me know!</p>
I think I’m going to explain to colleges when I begin my applications; it’s mostly teenager problems haha.</p>
also could you view my thread as well 
Does West Point put a lot of emphasis on sports? I do a lot of sports outside of school, if they will take that into consideration.
I really think you should turn your attention to your dreams of Georgetown or other colleges that could be a good fit academically and financially for you. </p>