<p>is hope lost for those of us who made 3 C's and 9 B's in high school to make it into any top 20 school? (top 15% class rank)
Particularly Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>It honestly just depends on the rest of your application. If you’ve got a decent test score, great EC’s, an essay that blows them away, and awesome recs, then I’m sure they would overlook your GPA to an extent. On the other hand, if you have a legitimate reason for your grades slipping a bit, tell them about it! There’s space for it, so explain whatever you need to. (:</p>