<p>I'm looking at several really good schools, but I have a lowish GPA. Probably around 3.65? My class rank isn't amazing either. I'm probably only in the top 25% or 30%, though the counselors don't tell us and claim that we don't rank. I do feel like I have a few good reasons for my GPA...</p>
<p>1) grading scale at my school:</p>
<p>A = 93-100
B = 86-92
C = 79-85
D = 70-78
U = below 70</p>
<p>2) very ill junior year, november - aprilish. essentially i did no HW during that time period, but I was at school and thus every missed assignment counted against me. This illness also really affected my ability to participate in extracurriculars, so I'm pretty lacking in that area too.</p>
<p>3) missed 5+ weeks of school earlier this year. surgery to remove a tumor. completely unrelated to above illness. sadly, some of my teachers have been less forgiving than others, and I'm afraid my grades aren't going to be amazing.</p>
<p>4) I go to a public school that has five magnets, including visual and performing arts programs. We have many different levels of classes (honors is actually bad, haha. i'm guessing that what we call 'advanced' is equivalent to 'honors' at other schools?). Our GPAs/rank are completely unweighted. Most of the 4.0 and even 3.8 or 3.9 students take MUCH easier course loads, but colleges will have no way on knowing this.</p>
<p>How can I explain any of these things to colleges, and how do you think they'll feel about it? for numbers 2/3, i'm writing a letter or essay in the "what else should we know" section of the common app. how can I do it without coming across as whiny? </p>
<p>Here are all of my actual grades, if you're interested:</p>
<p>Freshman:</p>
<p>Advanced English: B+/B+ (I'm like the chronic 92.9er)
MST Bio: A/A
Orchestra: A/A
PE and Health: A/A
MST Math 1: (algebra 2): A/A
Advanced Latin 1: A/A
MST Computer Apps: A/A
AP Human Geo: A/A</p>
<p>Sophomore</p>
<p>Advanced English: A/A
MST Chem: A/A
Orchestra: A/A
AP Stats: A/A
Advanced Spanish 2 [skipped a year]: A/A
MST intro to programming: A/A
MST geometry/trig: B/B+
AP World History: A/A</p>
<p>Junior (sick year!!)
the classes that really suffered were math/science based -- classes in which it hurt the most to not do HW</p>
<p>AP Chem: B/C+
MST PreCalc/Calc: B/D
AP English Lang: A-/A
AP Comp Sci AB: A/B+
Adv. Spanish 3: B/B
Yearbook [I was the business manager but also did stories. EVERYBODY got a B second semester, and we're not sure why.]: A/B
AP US History: A-/B+
Independent Research: A/A
^^ I went to the lab every day to do research, but my project starting falling apart when I was liking falling asleep at the microscope. Eventually, I stopped going. </p>
<p>Senior Year (maybe):
AP English: B- or C. I have the type of teacher who thinks there is "an" answer to English, and I missed all of her Hamlet lectures. She gave me a ton of makeup work, but I got really low grades because I was "misinterpreting the work."
AP Psych: A
AP Calc BC: should have been an A, but I just totally bombed a test and will probably get a B :(
AP GoPo: A
AP Physics B: A
AP Art History: A
AP Spanish [i skipped another year!]: i'm worried that it will be a B or C due to makeup work/participation points issues. this is the same teacher i had last year. it's sad, because i'm actually like fluent in spanish.</p>
<p>Scores, for reference:
ACT: 35
SAT: 790 CR/720 M/760 writing, 8 essay
took again, but was pretty sick and dropped to 760 CR/660 M (ew.)/760 W, 9 essay
SAT II: took in may, as i was just starting to feel better.
800 lit, 760 US, 610 chem haha</p>
<p>I'm going to take Spanish, Math II, and Physics in january. I expect to get 800s in Spanish and physics definitely, and probably math as well.</p>
<p>AP:
(freshman)
human geo = 5</p>
<p>(sophomore)
stats = 4
world history = 5</p>
<p>(sick junior)
chem = 3
comp ab = 2
us hist = 5
eng lang = 5</p>
<p>thank you for looking, haha.</p>