My gpa now is a lot lower than I’d like it to be (cumulatively it’s 2.8, weighted), but there’s a really steep improvement curve (2.2 weighted freshman year, 3.9 weighted junior year). This is because I had a really nasty family situation and a lot of issues with my health during my first half of high school, and I’d really like to use the additional info section to address this. On the other hand, I don’t want to scare off an admissions committee or give them the wrong impression by detailing certain things or seem like I’m making excuses for my past grades. What’s the most effective way to do this?
Also, I now take 2 IB classes and I got a 1480 on The SAT. Would it help if I mention that, or is that useless because they’ll see it on my application/transcript anyway?
It would be better if your guidance counselor could address any health issues in his/her recommendation letter – that way it won’t sound like you are making excuses. The improvement will be obvious by looking at the transcript.
Any mention of health issues should be done by your guidance counselor in her/his recommendation. Otherwise it just sounds like excuse making since there is no documentation.
That’s what I thought, but I also thought it might look strange if I didn’t address it at all because it’s a pretty dramatic change. Am I just over thinking it?
You might want to share what you have learned, how you have grown and stretched from your experiences and how you will bring your skills to the campus community. They want to know about you, so what makes you more resilient as a senior? Is your field of study related to our experiences, did challenges inspire you?
You could do that in your essay if you chose to (different discussion), but they don’t want another essay in Additional Information.