<p>Due to psychological and personal problems, my grades in high school and community college aren<code>t great. The first two years of high school and the last year and a half of community college are really good, but the GPAs still are only a little above 3.0s for each. What I</code>m wondering is if I write a really good essay that explains why the grades weren<code>t great (plus my SAT scores are really good), do you think I would have any chance of getting into a school that my GPA isn</code>t quite good enough for? Or would they just look at the grades and toss it in a rejection pile? Just wondering what kinds of schools I should bother applying to.</p>
<p>Thanks.
P.S. Please don<code>t be cruel in your answers, as people on here seem to get. I</code>m just asking a question.</p>
<p>I`m majoring in computer sci at my community college because its the only computer degree offered. When I transfer I want to major in either Software Engineering or Computer Programming (they are fairly similar and can lead to the same careers).</p>
<p>Although I’m sure you could write a great essay given your life experiences with these issues, I’d be careful before writing it with that specific goal in mind. The essay isn’t the place to give excuses for lower grades, so if you choose to address these experiences do not do so in relation to your grades. Just explain what happened and how it made you a stronger/more aware person; that alone should be sufficient, as they will be able to relate it to your grades themselves.</p>
<p>Biggest advice though, watch your tone. Given that this is a sensitive and probably more poignant topic, you:</p>
<p>A) don’t want to sound like you are trying to make the admissions people feel bad for you (it will more than likely just make them uncomfortable)</p>
<p>B) don’t want to seem like a negative or despondent person (the “woe is me” approach is not hugely effective given that they see hundreds of essays about difficult events in applicants’ lives) Also, keep in mind that they will be asking themselves questions such as, “Would this person live well with a roommate?” and “Given this, are they emotionally ready to be on their own in college?” That sounds awful, but its something to think about</p>
<p>C) Like I said above, don’t be dishing out excuses. Focus on the present and who you are now. Most likely, you want to emphasize how you have grown and how it gives you a unique perspective in comparison to the other applicants.</p>
<p>There is my slightly tangential but seemingly necessary advice haha. Overall though, a 3.0 GPA is not that bad, if you show improvement or promise that you will be able to do better in college (expressing intellectual curiosity, good teacher recs, high test scores etc) you should be fine. All in all, just go for it! There is no harm in trying</p>