I screwed up freshman and sophomore year- is there hope?

<p>Both freshman and sophomore year I went to a crappy high school in NJ where i had an avg GPS of around a 2.7. I got a D- in chem and algebra 2 honors, and a C in geometry, bio, algebra, and French. (I know it's awful).
After sophomore year I moved to CA and went to an excellent public school and I did so much better. Now I'm going into my senior year, and I finished junior year with a 3.9 GPA and 3 AP's as well as 7 extra curriculars, and a 1950 on my SAT's. If I keep this up for senior year and explain in my essay how the school I was going to in NJ impacted my GPA and mental health so drastically is there ANY hope I could get accepted into a good 4 year school? (UCSB or CalArts is my goal, though a long shot)
Thanks! :) </p>

<p>You definitely have a chance; universities want to see students with resilience and determination, not backing down after experiencing hardships (at least that’s what my counselor told me). A 2.7 to a 3.9 is VERY impressive. As long as you explain it fully in your application, I’m sure you will be fine. Good luck. :)</p>

<p>The fact that you have an upward slope is a good thing. Colleges usually are lenient about grades in freshman/sophomore year if you do excellently in your junior year (which you have done). I’d say you have a decent shot at UCSB depending on what you are applying for.</p>