<p>Andoswani might be a little harsh, but I think I agree with him. One of the few things I am confident about is the effect of the upward trend. During a Q&A session I attended, the Johns Hopkins admission counselor explained that he likes to see upwards trends in applicants as it indicates growth.</p>
<p>Now ArtsyGirl13 may be right that it can be an indicator of laziness in 9th and 10th grade (guilty as charged), it at least shows that said applicant understands the importance of college and is also capable of maintaining a good GPA later on. Remember that high school is a time of growth, and just because they go into 9th grade a crappy student doesn’t mean they have to come out of 12th grade a crappy student. Of course this view may be biased since I’m describing my own circumstances.</p>