Does being in the top 10% make up for low GPA?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am in the top 10% at a pretty competitive high school (several HYPSM every year), but my GPA is a little low ~3.7 for the various top 20 schools that I applied to. To make matters worse, I suffered from depression the 2nd semester of my junior year and unfortunately went from straight A's to nearly straight B's. So, I have a downtrending GPA, but I have since recovered and was able to get straight A's again the first semester of my senior year.</p>

<p>Taking all this into account, will my top 10% status and mid year report save me in terms of the "GPA portion" of College Admissions? (obviously ECs, Essays, etc. are of importance too but I'm very concerned about my GPA atm)</p>

2

<p>Colleges have regional admissions reps who should be familiar with your high school. I do think that being at a more competitive high school will work in your favor, especially if your SATs are very high.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the encouraging words MD Mom!
I guess I should’ve mentioned this in my original post but for reference, I did get a 2300+ on my SAT.</p>

4

<p>They will know your school. Another advantage will be that you will most likely have very nice recommendations from your teachers and counselor.
Good luck.</p>

5

<p>I’ve heard depression(like Death, Depression) is one of the 4Ds or 3Ds(?) not to mention in your application.</p>

6

<p>Luckily, medical conditions are private matters, so it is easy to refer to medical problems without mentioning specifics.</p>

7

<p>Ask your school counselor. She/he will have the best sense of how students with your GPA and test scores have fared in admissions in previous years.</p>

8

<p>

Yes, I had a feeling mentioning it wouldn’t go over well, so I didn’t mention it at all.</p>

<p>

Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that!</p>