I need advice. Input greatly appreciated!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I know I've posted this in the College Search forum before and I apologise for reposting, but I haven't gotten any answers that have allowed me to come to a decision so here goes. </p>

<p>I'm an international from Singapore. Back in high school, I was a typical failure student; refused to study, teachers hated me etc. My grades were consistently the lowest possible across the board, not just Bs and Cs but Es and Fs. It wasn't until the last two months before finals that I realized a liberal arts education existed and began studying my butt off to do well. Still, the most I managed were three Bs and a C for my main subjects, and an A for general paper. Thankfully, the males in my nation are required to serve the army for two years before going to university, and I used the time to take eight AP exams the next year, getting 7 5s and one 3. </p>

<p>I guess the point of this post is to find out how strong my application can possibly get? As it stands, how much academic clout do I have taking into consideration both my sub-par high school performance and my current grades? I'm not sure how fondly APs are looked upon in the admissions process, but I'm wondering if adcoms are willing to take into consideration the context under which I got those scores(while on active duty, fully self studied without classes in 5 months), as well as my shift in attitude that came at the last minute. </p>

<p>Also, my teacher recommendations are definitely not going to be glowing(and i don't blame them!), but I have a military superior who's enthusiastic to write me something much more flattering. Even if it's not under an educational context, it does reflect my work ethic/performance/change in attitude but i'm not sure how much it'll help? </p>

<p>In summary, how possible is it for adcoms to 'forgive' my high school performance and consider me based on my latest scores/reviews? Also, based on what I've got, what schools would be realistic for someone like me? I applied once last year but I never mentioned anything about my change in attitude or grades, and got pretty much rejected from everywhere so I'm considering a gap year before reapplying. But before I do I guess I want my situation assessed first. In short, how should I approach college apps with a situation like mine?</p>

<p>I apologise if this post is a little incoherent; I had no idea where to start. But any advice/opinions I can get will be greatly appreciated! </p>

<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>

2

<p>hi zhihao90,</p>

<p>an upward trend is always good as it shows you have the initiative to get yourself to where you want to be. to be quite honest there will be lots of people out there who will be applying and saying “oh in my junior year i came to the realisation that…”. this is far too typical and adcoms will see many of them, the trick is to find something about yourself that will ‘dazzle’ the people that read your application. find something you are passionate about and show how you will use the university admission given to further that passion and in turn contribute back to society. that to me is what the adcoms want to see, of course you have to fulfill an academic requirement for that school. but like i said, find something unique about yourself and express it through your essays and you have a better chance at any school.</p>

<p>i hope this helps </p>

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