<p>My UW GPA for frosh/soph year combined is 3.11, but junior/first semester senior year it is 3.4. Also, along with the upward trend in GPA, I have taken way more accelerated/honors/AP classes junior and senior year than I did freshman year. My school does not weight and is known for grade deflation, and although I know this doesn't matter because it won't appear anywhere on my application, I calculated what my Weighted GPA would have been on a 5 point scale for JR/SR year to be 3.65 (with a 3.98 this semester). I had some personal struggles frosh/soph year which I wrote my CommonApp essay about (been told it was very good) that somewhat significantly affected my grades, but I have been progressing very well both as a student and a person since then. I took the December ACT to get my score up before applying regular decision, and my feel is about 32-33 (had a 30 before). I am also a two-sport varsity athlete (non-recruit though) and a member of student government. I think my LORs were very good, I had a good relationship with my GC, and my two teacher recs were from teachers I loved having class with and whom I have developed at great relationship with as well. I am also very actively involved with Campus Ministry at my Catholic high school, have attended state latin convention the past 3 years, and will have over 100 hours of community service by the time I graduate, including a unique program with my school where seniors spend two weeks in the community (not in school) as full-time volunteers helping the disadvantaged. I do not have any major awards.</p>
<p>With that all being said, I am looking for one final reach school to apply to. I have already been accepted to a couple of my safeties which I really do love, but was wondering if I had more than a shot in heck of getting into a more selective school. I will be perfectly fine with the answer been no, but just thought I'd ask. Here are some of the schools in the running:</p>
<p>Trinity College - Hartford
Vanderbilt
Northwestern
WUSTL
U Chicago
Cornell
Brown
Amherst</p>
<p>I’m decently in the same boat as you. I have a upwards trend with gpa and classes as well, but maybe even better than you. Your act is better than mine and possibly essays, but probably not by much and your ECs are probably around mine. With all of this in mind, I have to say those colleges are way too far out of reach given your gpa and ACT. While upward trends are impressive, they aren’t as impressive as people who have always been on top. I’m sorry.</p>
<p>If you’re a fantastic and creative writer, you may have a chance at U Chicago. </p>
<p>Your ACT is decently in range (the project one, that is). The main problem is that your upward GPA trend still is well below the averages for those universities. Even if you got a 3.5 UW all 4 years you’d still be on the bottom end. Your ECs are pretty nice, but nothing really stands out. That 2 week program is the only thing that really caught my eye.</p>
<p>If you’re going to apply to any of them, apply to Hartford.</p>
<p>One note, two kids from my school got accepted to UChicago yesterday. One had a 3.8 and a 30 ACT I believe, and the other had a 3.7 and 31. Both took pretty hard classes and had good, but not out-of-this-world ECs. I know their GPAs are higher than mine, but if I get a 33, taking into account those two kids and my school’s grade deflation, do I stand a chance at U Chicago?</p>
<p>Grades are not important once you’re over a certain number. Especially at UChicago.</p>
<p>UChicago is well-known for its challenging essays. Be sure to take a look at the UChicago forum in CC and look at past year essays for a sense of the DIVERSITY and degree of FREEDOM of what you can write.</p>
<p>although i agree with those above in that these schools are selective, colleges love upward trends. it’s clear that you’re working very very hard and i believe colleges will see that. as long as you have some safety schools, i see no harm in taking a shot :)</p>