haven't had a straight answer on this yet...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>i have a dilemma.
it's probably not a new dilemma, but i haven't found a decent answer to my question:</p>

<p>my gpa is relatively low, not because i'm unintelligent, but because i slacked the first 2 years of high school.</p>

<p>this year, my gpa went through the roof, but the first two year's grades tanked it.</p>

<p>i have good test scores, and if i want to, can write one hell of an essay.</p>

<p>here's the question, then:
how do colleges look at grade trends, or at how much a person's gpa has improved throughout their high school year? can i highlight it in an essay as party of a personal experience? or should i forget princeton entirely?</p>

<p>thanks all =]]</p>

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<p>That's a tough situation. How hard are the classes you are taking now? Do you capitalize your words when you write your essays? It's inexpedient to rack up poor grades in high school--there are plenty of intelligent young people who hold their noses and get good grades, even if they find high school boring, so you're in a bad competitive situation if you don't have good high school grades. </p>

<p>But if you think Princeton is a good fit, you might as well apply. Just be sure to mention what you did to challenge yourself intellectually outside of class. (You did do something, didn't you?) Don't make excuses, as such, but emphasize how you used your time responsibly. </p>

<p>Line up a good "safety" college, and then apply with good effort, and see what happens.</p>

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<p>Princeton like every other college will be interested in students with an upward slopping curve. dont worry about wht happened years ago and focus on the now; take the hardest courses and concentrate on them, get the best test scores possible, do ecs u'r passionate about and lastly write a personal and intense essay and you'll b set. the common mistake with CC students is believing they can influence the decision process. Just do your work and leave the rest to fate, God; to the Admissions personnel. you cannot affect the application after you have sent it anyway. Jus forcus on your school work, enjoy life and hve the confidence to make good choices in life and the college application process will be a breeze.</p>

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<p>Thousands of kids get fabulous grades for four years and have solid, balanced ECs and great SATs yet get rejected by the Ivies, including Princeton. Why? Because they're just like a lot of other applicants, not special, unique or distinctive, not on fire or elegant or possessing a particular trait or attitude or life experience that makes them otherwise desirable.</p>

<p>The Ivies try to assemble a "mosaic," a mix of kids with widely divergent life experiences and backgrounds, the idea being extreme cross-pollination, as it were, is of maximum benefit to all. </p>

<p>You may be the kid who would add to the mix an "I learned the hard way the value of taking care of business no matter what" point of view.</p>

<p>IMO, you have no choice but to write about why you didn't use to care, what happened to change that, how you are now, and what you learned. I see that learning curve as a golden opportunity. </p>

<p>If you do it right, you could leave the admissions people thinking, "We want this attitude/life experience on campus." Remember, who you are NOW is what matters.</p>

<p>I'd tell it straight, honestly; no thesaurus words. Tell it like you'd tell a friend. </p>

<p>Here's your theme: "I blew it once and I'm not going back."</p>

<p><< My grades sucked freshman and sophomore years because I had a bad attitude. The more I got bad grades, the less I cared and the worse my attitude got. I blamed the teachers and my parents. I saw my teachers as indifferent. My parents pressured me. It was everybody's fault but mine. I was an angry kid who almost gave up.</p>

<p>Junior and senior years I turned things around. Here's why...>></p>

<p>The most important parts, of course, will be 1) telling about how/why you woke up, and 2) describing the lessons you learned and why they're invaluable and why you wouldn't change a thing; you really like who you are now and who knows where you'd be had you not been through this painful learning curve.</p>

<p>Details, specific examples, are critical. </p>

<p>Bottom line, if the school believes that what you learned would be important for other kids to hear, you've got a shot. </p>

<p>Let's face it: all your grades will be in black and white right in front of the admissions people. You try to spin the bad ones and you're doomed. You come at them straight on, take responsibility, take lemons and make lemonade, as it were, and you have a chance at impressing them with your candor and insight and honesty.</p>