Drop in Junior Year GPA

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi Everyone!</p>

<p>I'm currently a third trimester junior and am really concerned about the drop in my GPA. Freshman and sophomore year, I've maintained pretty good unweighted GPAs with 3.91 and 3.93, respectively. However, junior year really hit me like a ton of bricks, right now I foresee a 3.65 GPA if I am really lucky. I am taking much harder classes (IB History HL, IB Spanish HL, IB Literature and Language HL, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus AB), so that may be to blame. But, I've also had a some medical issues this past year that caused me to be out of school quite often (about 15 absences) and a family death that hit me pretty hard. I know this sounds like excuse after excuse, but I honestly don't know what to do anymore. Am I doomed for top college admissions? But, I have maintained a lot of my extra curriculars (over 400 community service hours, leadership positions in 3 clubs, debate, etc.) and just got a pretty decent SAT score of 2320. Nevertheless, I feel like my GPA will detract from any top college that would want me. Am I doomed?</p>

<p>For anyone who responds to this desperate post, thank you loads from the bottom of my heart. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. </p>

2

<p>Oh, and I should probably mention that I a member of a race that is notoriously pooped on in college admissions, meaning that only the top of the top seem to get into great colleges. So I’m double doomed, right?</p>

3

<p>Well, your last statement is tantalizing. Depending on the reader, different assumptions would be made.</p>

4

<p>As for your original “story”, the fact that your grades dropped on their own merit would not do you well. The fact that you had taken on a more challenging course load and dealt with some personal and medical issues will need to be conveyed and you will be evaluated in context. It will be very important for you to start to turn things back around and show that it was an aberration based on circumstances. Good luck and be strong.</p>

5

<p>You are not doomed.</p>