<p>...figuratively of course. My guidance counselor just told me today that because of my horrific sophomore year my GPA is only a 3.58! I seriously wanted to cry when she told me that because I've worked so hard throughout high school. I am the only junior in three AP courses, but last year (soph) I was having a TON of anxiety problems, so I had 38 absences, 11 tardies, and 9 early dismissals. That resulted in my getting two 84s (Chem Honors and Geom honors). I really tried but missing all that school made it nearly impossible to do superbly well. This year I've been getting straight As (along with frosh year). well, I have a B in AP Us History but that class is known as ridiculous. So my question is this: Will colleges kill me over my GPA, even though there is a reason behind it? My GPA of fresh/junior year is like a 3.8 UW (which isnt great but its better than a 3.58!). Also, my SAT score was a 2320 (770 CR, 790 M, 760 W). My class rank is top 10%, and we are only told our decile. So again, am I screwed?</p>
<p>you are not screwed, a 3.58 is very respectable and you have challenged yourself. and it all depends where you want to go. after all, there are 359 top colleges according to the Princeton Review.</p>
<p>Isn’t college admissions based more on percentile than GPA? Well, slightly? And won’t that be a benefit to you if you can strongly defend your B’s.</p>
<p>3.58 for top 10 percent? Wow.</p>
<p>You will easily get into 95% plus of US colleges.</p>
<p>hmom is right. Most colleges in the U.S. would be thrilled to have you as a student. Many would give you merit aid and/or accept you to honors colleges.</p>
<p>Something like 60% of college applicants in the U.S. get into their first choice college. It’s only on CC --where so many students apply to colleges that accept as few as 10% of their applicants – where a student would think that a 3.58 gpa is the kiss of doom.</p>
<p>While you’re not likely to get into an Ivy, that’s also true of most Ivy applicants even if their gpas are higher than are yours. Dream of Ivies if you wish to, but count on the reality of going to some 4-year college.</p>
<p>Why do you see a 3.58 as bad? What is the cutoff for you definition of a good/bad GPA? </p>
<p>Even if your GPA is not outstanding, you have your SAT score to balance things out :]</p>
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<p>People set such low standards for themselves…</p>
<p>38 absences, 11 tardies, and 9 early dismissals? Out of little over 180 school days? </p>
<p>I’m surprised you managed to keep your grades up even that high. </p>
<p>Oh well… time to be realistic. 
Always have hope.</p>
<p>OP: Colleges will also look at the progression in your grades, if your junior year, first semester senior year are improved, plus you are taking the most challenging curriculum available to you, it will matter less. Along with really good SAT scores, you are a very competitive candidate.
There is also a spot on the common app for anything else you want to say, and if you feel it important enough you could work on a brief statement of your “slide” in soph year.
There really is more to your applications than the numbers: essays, recommendations to name 2!</p>
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<p>That’s immediately what I thought. I missed 10 days this year and I had to work my butt off to keep grades up. 38?!</p>
<p>You will just make yourself sick again worrying about what is past. Work hard, move forward, and figure out a way to use last year as a great essay prompt! By your name, I am guessing you would like to apply Ivy…go ahead, you never know - just make sure to have a mix of schools so you get to make choices. Don’t focus so much on the gpa, everything else looks great. I have a friend that has 4.0 uw/2300 SAT, all the AP’s, varsity sports and didn’t get in so it is not all about the gpa, it is about the individual and the fact that schools only have so many spots.</p>
<p>remember, there’s a box in the application in which you can explain the discrepancy of your soph yr grades.</p>
<p>You’re okay :)</p>
<p>thanks so much! yeah to earlier posts…my top choice is going to be Columbia lol…where a 3.58 is like unheard of lol. Also, I really did need to work a lot to keep up last year. Oh and the reason I’m in the top 10% is because of weighted GPA. My weighted GPA is something like 4.3 or 4.4, because I have the hardest possible courseload. They almost moved me into lower classes last year because I was out so much, but I refused. So yeah, I am not set on Ivies (like the name suggests lol), but I would love to go to a top-tier school. Not just because of prestige, but because I want to go to a good med school, and going to a good undergrad is helpful.</p>
<p>How did you stay in school with 38 absences? At mine it’s 18 absences in a semester = having to retake the class.</p>
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■■■■■?</p>
<p>
Anything beneath a 4.02 is terrible</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the OP said a 3.8 UW isn’t great.</p>
<p>If this was an approved medical absence, your GC should be able to write something in his/her letter explaining the events in your soph year and the effect the absences had on your grades. Was your soph year a 3.58 and the others are 3.8, or is your 9-11 GPA a 3.58? That makes a difference. Your recovery w/grades junior year and your SAT scores will also help. Looking at a wide range of schools is essential for students who may look “lopsided” to admissions folks.</p>
<p>BTW, don’t get freaked out over folks who say you’re doomed. S1 got into two USNWR schools with a mid 3.7, non-top-10% UW. At one of the schools, only 3% of applicants with his GPA got in.</p>
<p>Well, I hate to be a downer but this year the admissions are really tight. You will need to look at this year’s stats. I know my son had a 3.59, top 15%, lots of AP and honors, including a 5 on AP A/B Calculus as a junior. He got 2 accepts, 2 declines and 1 wait-list for schools that would normally have let him in. His GC told him he would be accepted anywhere he wanted to go (he was not trying for ivies). So you be sure you do your research and have safeties, because this year’s class is finding even safeties hard to get into.</p>
<p>OP, you can still be a competitive applicant at pretty much every college in the country.</p>
<p>I just got into Columbia with like a 3.4-something (I think my weighted was a 4.2-4.3, though, so I was still in the top 10%).</p>
<p>Granted, I am a minority… but before you throw my post out the window, at the admitted students orientation this past weekend I actually met these two non-URM kids who mentioned that they had GPAs around what you have. They just balanced it out by being strong applicants in other areas. </p>
<p>Just work on your ECs and write a great essay. BTW, senior year grades can be pretty important too. I mentioned that I had a 3.4-something (I think it was), but I actually had straight As on my midyear report and I was taking 5 APs and interning during the week. So I really think Columbia will consider that when looking at your file. You just have to make sure your passions shine through.</p>
<p>…
Also… if you’re sure you want to go to Columbia, in your case I would strongly recommend that you apply ED.</p>
<p>thanks bluegatorade! I probably will apply ED. And in regards to an earlier post, I really don’t know my GPA breakdown. I think I had a 3.85 frosh year, a 3.4ish soph year, and I have something like a 3.7 this year. When I said 3.8 frosh junior I meant the average of those two is like a 3.8. And, this year I am taking much harder classes than I was the past two years. (I went from 0 AP classes to 3 which is unheard of in my school). ANy other advice?</p>