<p>I posted another thread on here about why my grades rose significantly after Freshman/Sophomore year, so I'm not going to retype my situation here, but I'm wondering if it can hurt to call the admissions officers to ask them what the best way of presenting this information is? I.e. including it in my application, in a rec letter, etc. They're super busy and I don't want to bother them, and I've heard that pestering them with questions like these isn't the best idea. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>You should ask your guid counselor – not an admissions officer</p>
<p>Your counselor should address this in his or her letter. If you are applying to large public universities, which do not accept letters of recommendation, they will not read such a letter, but they probably won’t welcome a phone call. They receive tens of thousands of applications, all from individuals with unique stories to tell. The upward trend will be obvious. </p>
<p>@nc2015: “They’re super busy and I don’t want to bother them, and I’ve heard that pestering them with questions like these isn’t the best idea.” I agree with your foregoinf analysis. In addition, it’s YOUR application and YOU are responsible for figuring this out. I am NOT suggesting this constraint applies to your “advisors” – parents, GCs, teachers, friends, local professionals, CC participants, neighbors, and so forth – but rather only to admissions officers. To illustrate, can you imagine what an admissions officer’s daily work-life would be, if he had to field dozens of applicant calls with questions like yours?</p>
<p>With this said, my advice is to use your essays and recommendations to convey this information – and much more important, how your experience(s) altered your goals, your priorities, your study habits, your character, and so forth. </p>
<p>Agreed, this is not a question for admissions officers – their job is to read and decide on applications not to help people prepare the applications. They will see the upward trend, your guidance counselor can address it, and you can address it in an essay if you choose.</p>