How should I explain mediocre grades/downward trend in application?

Applying to College
1

Current GPA approx: 3.4W, 3.3UW
Freshman 1: 3.88 (2 honors)
Freshman 2: 3.75 (2 honors)
Sophomore 1: 3.75 (2 honors, 1 AP)
Sophomore 2: 2.96 (2 honors, 1 AP)
Junior 1: 3.33 (1 college, 3 AP)
Junior 2: 2.71 (1 college, 2 AP)
Senior 1: 4.0 (no available honors, unable to take AP) (because of the non-rigorous classes I am only able to take, I am not going to let myself get anything below straight As)

ACT:
E 27
M 26
S 26
R 23
Writing 10

ECs:
Chamber orchestra
Quartet violinist
Tri M Music Honors Society
Science Olympiad (3rd in region for anatomy)
Junior State of America (cabinet member)

Jobs:
Cashier at bookstore
Team member at fast food restaurant
Table busser at restaurant
Warehouse worker at lawnmower company

Other things:
I’ll be a first generation college student. My dad didn’t graduate high school. None of my grandparents, cousins, aunts, or uncles have a college degree and half do not have a diploma. I’m not sure if it will affect admissions, but if anything it means nobody in my family knows how anything college related works or how to help me which is why I am hoping to find any sort of help here lol.
I’m teaching a class my senior year that I’ve created from scratch with my teacher. It will go for actual English credit and anyone at my school can take it.
I’m doing a semester long internship or two and graduating early.

Why did my grades slip? I became overloaded with balancing extracurriculars and jobs. Too many unfortunate occurrences where I would, for example, have a big test the morning after working from 3:30-11:00. Or have a paper due at midnight and have to work until closing three days in a row. They added up with having two jobs at a time the majority of my junior year, and eventually I stooped down to 2 Ds, 2 Cs, 2 Bs, and only 1 A which is something I thought I would never come close to doing.

Why can’t I take APs my senior year/why do I only have one semester? My school is an alternative school which makes us graduate a semester early to do internships. It isn’t an option, it’s a part of the school, like we have zero seniors the second semester of every year. The only way to get out of this would be to transfer schools, but I’m not going to do that and pass up an opportunity like this just to take a couple APs.

Why did I take so little AP classes? My school has 2 AP classes (Lit and Lang.) The rest we have to take a bus to another school for. It was nearly impossible to line up schedules (as we do block scheduling and the other school does regular) for just one class, let alone the 4-5 I wish I could have taken. The most I’ve ever seen someone at my school be able to fit in a schedule is 3 and the time I took 3, my schedule was so messed up that I had to take 2 classes every other day and leave one class midway every single day. Missing half of in class time for three classes also contributed to my downward trend in grades.

Basically, I know 16 year old me messed up big time, but I want to get into a good college and go up from here. However, I’m incredibly stressed because, while my overall GPA is not awful, my grades are on a downward slope and my course load was not very rigorous. Everywhere I read states that a low GPA isn’t bad if your grades have an upward trend, but am I screwed if it’s the opposite?
Many sources say that I should explain this on my essay, however I’m not exactly sure how I should even approach doing that. I’m also worried because you only get one common app essay, and I feel like grades like this take a lot of explanation and there are so many other things I’d like to highlight, like teaching a class or doing internships. I’m also worried that I’ll just sound like I’m making excuses for myself when the bottom line is, I didn’t manage my time well.

What would be the best way to explain this to admissions and to convince them that I could still succeed in college? Is there any particular essay topic that would help me?

Also, what are some good safety/target schools for me (I live in Ohio)? A lot of the schools I love are reaches (some with free apps, so ill apply anyways just to see) but I haven’t really found any small, affordable, liberal arts colleges that I had a good shot of getting into.

I really like Smith, Mount Holyoke, Clark, Hampshire, Earlham, Kenyon and Oberlin, but I haven’t found any schools like these that I could actually get into. Should I even bother applying to any of these places since my chances are super slim? What are some schools like these that have higher acceptance rates?

I was also wondering, with my grades, should I apply Early Action anywhere? I know it would mean a better chance of getting in, but is it worth not having my first semester senior grades to show that I have a slight upward trend? Should I only apply EA to only my very safety schools just to have the reassurance that no matter what, I have a spot in at least one college?

The last thing I wanted to add was that I did not study for the ACT. It was free and I was forced to take it, which I am thankful for, but it was also during a time where I had no extra time to study. I want to maybe retake it in September, but I think the SAT might be a better fit for me and I might register late for the one in August. I think I could get my score up to a 28-30 if I really tried for the ACT again, or the SAT equivalent to that if I went that route. The only reason I’d want to do the SAT is because I knew most the answers on the ACT, but I only finished two thirds to three fourths of each section and it is to my knowledge that the SAT is more forgiving with time.

2

I think you are going to be ok. I would suggest getting to the schools you are interested in for a visit and be sure to set up a personal interview. During your interview you can explain your circumstances and also share your family background. Honestly I think they will love that you are first generation and that many of your family did not even graduate from high school. This will help you.

Discuss with your guidance counselor how important his/her recommendation is and perhaps s/he can include an explanation of some of your challenges and how you’ve handled them well.

Apply to as many schools EA as you are interested in. Early Action is non-binding so there is no penalty for having your materials and application ready by the deadline (fall). Also, ask at admissions about application fee wavers. You might qualify.

I will suggest to start working on your essay now. I always think it’s a good idea to get your common Ap essay done in August before school starts. It helps to take some of the stress off. Also, talk to your parents about the FASFA form and start gathering the necessary materials and working on that too. The more things you get done now for your application, the easier it is to meet the early action deadline (usually October 15). It is nice to apply EA because then your work is done and you just wait and/or finish up regular decision applications. Be sure to include some state schools on your list - they might end up making the most financial sense. Variety is key.

You’ll get there - don’t worry.

3

There are lots of schools you can still get into, but the big question mark is budget. It’s going to be hard to get a lot of merit aid, and to get into full-need-met schools. What is your budget? You mention needing a college that’s “affordable” but what does affordable mean to your family?

It sounds like you’re looking for a liberal arts school - any particular interests, major-wise?

If you can afford about $33K/year, then I would suggest UNC Asheville, a really nice public LAC that’s a match for your stats. Truman State in MO would is a terrific public LAC as well, and with the MSEP discount it would be about $25K/year, but the admissions decision could go either way.

Definitely prep for the SAT (Khan Academy phone app - download it right now if you already haven’t, and spend at least 20 minutes a day) - a better standardized test score will help a lot.

There are lots of private LAC’s that would accept you; they question is whether you can afford them if you get in without merit and they don’t meet full need. Agnes Scott in Atlanta would be a good women’s college to apply to, and quite a few of the other CTCL schools (of which Earlham and Clark are two) would be good targets as well https://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/

St. Olaf would be a reach, but they meet full need, have terrific music as well as academics, and have a surprisingly high Early Decision acceptance rate, around 80%. If their Net Price Calculator shows an affordable EFC for you, it might be worth considering it as an ED school, because I don’t think you could get in RD but ED you might have a shot, and based on your self-description and the other schools you like it sounds like potentially a good fit.

And here’s another thought - consider applying to AFS to do a “super-senior” gap year abroad. (What language have you studied in HS?) This would give you another year to add course rigor - get farther in your math and science sequence, gain fluency in your foreign language - and it would let you apply to colleges with your senior grades on the books, with your internships(s) to write about in your essays, and your problematic junior year a little farther behind you.More time to raise your test scores too. And all strategizing aside, a year abroad can be a wonderful experience. Just an option to think about.

4

I don’t think that there is any way to explain away a few years worth of grades. They are what they are at this point. Focus on doing well next semester, as it will help you to show an upward trend. Also, get your standardized test score up (whether its the AP or SAT). If you do those things, you will have more options when deciding where to apply.

5

I don’t think you explain it. I think you apply to schools that match your stats.

6

There is nothing to explain. Your ACT basically matches your grades. The fact that no one in your family knows anything about college really has no bearing on your current grades. Blaming your grades on working or lack of APs is a bad idea: lots of kids work or do sports or other time consuming activities. Lots of kids are at schools with no or few AP classes. You may want to target state schools that are more affordable and will have a balance of student types.

7

@mrp1027 Eyeballing your grades, it looks like your GPA is a bit over a 3.0 and ACT composite is 25. I would do some focused preparation for either the ACT or SAT (take a timed practice test for each and see which is better). There are on-line resources and low-cost test prep books that can help with either.

You could look at CTCL (Colleges that Change Lives) schools at ctcl.org. These are LACs geared towards the B+ student, many of which are are in PA and the midwestern states.

For smaller in-state options, maybe take a look at Ohio University (Athens) and College of Wooster.

I second @aquapt 's suggestions for schools to check out. I would add Knox College.

Your stats would place you in range for Youngstown State which costs 18K per year for in-state students for room board and tuition and your current ACT with a GPA of 3.0 or better would qualify you for a merit discount of $2,000 per year. Not a LAC, student population is about 12K. But, over half of the students enrolled there are first generation and it might be a supportive environment for you.

https://ysu.edu/content/office-financial-aid-and-scholarships/scholarships