Hey everybody!,
So, I am currently a Junior in high school. In my freshman year, I moved 700 miles away from my hometown in the middle of the year, before I moved I really lost all motivation and was in a severe bout of depression. Of course, I didn’t really think about the future whatsoever and let my grades fall to sub 3.0 levels. However, since going to my current school I have had a 4.0 ever since the second semester of my freshman year and am currently taking the most challenging courses available to me, including a college math class. Senior year, I will be taking all college courses at the local community college. I was a USSYP finalist, received multiple schoolwide awards, organized fundraisers for local immigration groups, participate in two sports, have a weekend job, and am top of my class. I really messed up, and I just want an honest idea of where I stand in admissions, and if I have a chance at more selective colleges.
Thanks everyone 
Depends on what you mean by “selective”. If you’re thinking T10 or T25, it’ll probably be a reach. But a lot of schools will see the improvement you’ve made. Your ECs are great and as long as your essays and tests are good, you should be able to get into a great college. (Remember that T25 is not the end-all-be-all)
^^^lol okay I just noticed your user is “nyulover” (yay for context clues). You’ll have to give more specifics as to what your gpa was/is, but your ECs are great for NYU.
I believe NYU does look at freshman grades, but they’re not weighed as heavily as sophomore and junior. UCs, CMU, Stanford, Princeton, UMich, USC, and Johns Hopkins do not. ???, these will still see your class rigor and other colleges do look at those grades.
Regardless, I think you have a fair shot at wherever you apply, due both to your improvement after that year and to your rigor and determination to pick up the slack.
Most schools pay much less attention to freshman grades. It’s water over the dam, so I would try not to worry about it.
If you can touch on what excited you in your current environment (and mention how it negated all the angst you felt pre-move), it could help put that semester in context. But don’t be defined or comsumed by that semester. Sounds like you have really got it together now. Kudos!
Before you get you heart set on NYU, please be aware that they are notoriously stingy with financial aid.
If Finances are not an issue, and you and your parents are fine being full pay, that might not matter, but if you’re counting on financial aid, NYU clearly states that it is NOT a meets need school.:
“…the primary responsibility for meeting college costs rests with the student and the family…”
“…NYU is not able to meet the full need …”
The surprise is when they meet need, not when they don’t.
Both from the main NYU Fin Aid page at https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/financial-aid-and-scholarships.html
Multiple posts every year from kids and families who were accepted to NYU and then deeply regret applying when they get insufficient aid.
This account is about three years old so I’ve definitely changed my mind on where I wanted to go. Eight grade me really was Wildin’. ?
Our county offers students “grade recovery” for grades of C or below. You can take the classes online and while the grades won’t be expunged from your transcript, they will not be counted by the school in how they determine their GPA. This might be something to ask about, although I don’t know how colleges consider this if they recalculate grades themselves.