<p>Here is my situation. I am applying to top schools (harvard, columbia, Uchicago). I got fairly bad grades freshman year (a lot of B's and one C), but straight A's sophomore and junior year. I feel i should include some explanation of what happened, but i cant seem to find any good way to explain it that fits with my application. </p>
<p>My questions is: Do you think it is vital i give some explanation, or does the vast improvement speak for itself?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot,
Connor</p>
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<p>If there is a compelling personal situation that accounts for a less than stellar performance freshman year, let your guidance counselor mention is in their letter (as an example of a challenge overcome).</p>
<p>see thats the thing. there really isnt a compelling reason; I just kind of decided i wanted to start getting good grades. I am just worried that i have a severe disadvantage if i dont give am explanation</p>
<p>It is fairly common, especially for boys. Many schools will appreciate your upward trend if you take challenging courses, especially if you get good test scores. Maybe not Harvard, but many will. Besides, your freshman scores aren’t that bad!
Carnegie Mellon does not consider 9th grade grades at all. They recalculate your GPA for grades 10-12. They understand you :-)</p>
<p>In calculating the GPA, only “a-g” courses taken in the sophomore and junior years are used for the preliminary GPA by the UCs (UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB, etc) so maybe you would like to expand your college application list.</p>
<p>[University</a> of California - Calculating GPA](<a href=“University of California Counselors”>University of California Counselors)</p>
<p>“there really isnt a compelling reason; I just kind of decided i wanted to start getting good grades”</p>
<p>So what possible explanation can you give them? If you tell the truth - I was immature - you really aren’t saying anything they don’t already know. It’s why a number of schools don’t include 9th grade in figuring the gpa or discount it heavily. </p>
<p>It’s over. No explanation will change it without sounding like lame excuses. Your grades in 10th and 11th, and your teacher recs are all you need to prove that you’ve changed.</p>