<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My GPA shows a downward trend for my sophomore and junior year. My Senior year then spikes back up...</p>
<p>Freshman Year: 4.0 W (Not allowed to take any weighted classes this year at my school)
Sophomore Year: 3.86 W
Junior Year: 3.78 W
Senior Year: 4.6 W (All AP/Honors)</p>
<p>The problem was because of some pretty severe social problems... 5 people who went to my school committed suicide over my sophomore and junior year and two of my closest friends attempted suicide. It was really rough for me, but I've finally gotten over it. </p>
<p>My grades have jumped back up, but I can't re-do the years I already messed up...Will this really make a significant impact in admissions? Is there anything I can do to offset this?</p>
<p>It will depend on 1) the strength of your overall schedule (Sr. year looks great), 2) What your 1st Qtr and 1st semester senior grades actually end up, 3) the profile and competitiveness of your HS, 4) your SAT or ACT scores and 5) your leadership within your EC’s. Your social challenges sound severe, but for a first pass I’m not sure colleges consider that, so you just need to stand out on your own. It all depends on what kind of colleges you are considering.</p>
<p>That might be the kind of extenuating circumstance that your guidance counselor could mention in the letter that he or she writes to go with your Secondary School Report. You could meet with him or her to discuss it.</p>
<p>@Snowflake - I have a 2080 SAT and 32 ACT right now, planning on applying to mid-tier UCs (UCD, UCSD, UCSB…) And my HS is in the top 40 US public Highschools.</p>
<p>@Sikorsky - Thanks for the suggestion, that’s probably what I’ll do then :)</p>