I had a bad start senior year

<p>So, I'm a pretty decent student. My weighted is a 4.04 and my unweighted somewhere between a 3.59-3.64 depending on the system. Most of my classes are either IB, AP, or Intensified. Out of a possibility of 7 classes, I took 5 IB and 1 AP junior year. Not counting senior year, I would have taken 3 AP, 5 IB. Counting senior year, I would have 14 altogether at graduation. I've had mostly As and Bs and a few Cs. However, I have a difficult home life that escalated to really bad since the last semester of my junior year, as a result, I didn't show up to school a lot the first month of my senior year. I will probably get 2 Ds on my first quarter grades in two IB science classes. My other grades will be mostly As and probably a B or two. </p>

<p>If I work to bring up those Ds to Cs by the end of the second semester, and explain (though not into deep personal dark details of my problems), would colleges give me some leniency. I don't have highly educated parents, my dad is actually an illiterate immigrant and my mother only knows how to basically read and write. I'm Asian, but I've had a more difficult upbringing and have tried hard to show how much I want to change things. I'm looking to get into Reed, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, Oberlin, Scripps, Smith as some of my top choices. I am looking mostly into liberal arts colleges.</p>

<p>I definitely think that you’d be able to convince the admissions board at any of these schools about your problems.</p>

<p>Be sure to include the education level of your parents, put this information in your “Additional Information” section on your application, make it persuasive.</p>

<p>Attempt to not make it look like your home life is hindering and will hinder your education but show that it is an obstacle which you have learned to overcome.</p>

<p>Best of luck,</p>

<p>Richard</p>