Low GPA, weird grade trend, ok test scores, but still looking at top schools?

College Search & Selection
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Long story short, I wanted to be a doctor most of my life, but I dropped that dream following a depression sophomore year (I just want to clarify the cause of the depression was NOT because of school, although at times school made it worse). I decided halfway through junior year (yes. how late.) that I wanted to major in Chemistry and that I wanted to go to a nice school (preferably a high ranked UC or a nice private school). However, as I mentioned previously, I was suffering from depression in my sophomore year (I never opened up to my GC or my parents about it, and my GC has since left the school), and my UW GPA at the end of my junior year was an abysmally low 3.75, which sets me anywhere in the top quarter to the top third of my class (school does not do exact rank, only deciles, and they have not been released yet). My grades were fine freshman year, I only received one B first semester in a non-core elective. I received a whopping 7 Bs in my sophomore year (even for both semesters of Alg 2/Trig and Chem Honors), and that dropped my UW down to a 3.71. My junior year was fine, I took all honors and AP for core and two electives required for graduation. I got 2 Bs first semester but then a 4.0 second.

My weighted GPA is 4.1, and since my school restricts weighted classes for underclassmen, I have only taken Chinese Honors,Chem Honors (let’s say I got 2 Bs here. the teacher hated my guts.), Pre-Calc H, AP Chinese (5), AP Chem (5), APUSH (5), APLAC (at my school, the real name of this class is actually Honors Lit, but we take this test when we take the class;4). I have only taken 2 subject tests: Math 2 and Chem, which I scored 770s in both. I am retaking those two in October for 800s. I have a 2210 composite SAT, and a 2220 superscore. I am planning to take the ACT (aiming for 34+) in September and the November SAT (aiming for 2280+ or 2300+ superscore).

Right now, I have some schools with low acceptance rates that I’m looking at. And yes, I do have safeties, and I do have matches. They are:
HMC (some form of ED)
CMU
MIT (wow can I dream or what?!)
UC Berkeley

I’m not sure if these schools are out of reach for me. If they are (sorry, kind of chance me-esque, but still looking for suggestions), please recommend a different school, or just tell my to take it off my list. Thanks!

2

Your scores put you in the range for some good schools (although MIT is a reach lol). Your GPA is not “abysmal” but it doesn’t help your application very much

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You have safeties? I don’t see them.

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@erin’s dad" sorry when i read over the post, i forgot to edit the last part before the schools. Those schools are my reaches. My safeties are SJSU, SCU, and UCSC. This post is not intended to be my entire college list. Just my reaches.

5

If you can have someone like the GC explain that the drop in grades sophomore year was due to illness, you might have a chance. Really a lot depends on all the intangible parts of your application. How will you come off in your essays? What will your teacher recommendations sound like? What sort of ECs have you participated in? Have you won any awards?

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@mathmom The GC that was there during my sophomore year has left my school for about a year. The new GC ( I set up three appointments with her and she never acknowledged my existence) doesn’t seem to like me, even though I never talked to her. I heard we are getting a new GC for the coming year, so I’ll schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Regarding all other parts of my application: I am a good writer, and I am brainstorming ideas for essays right now. I only have one guaranteed rec letter so far from my AP Chem teacher, who loves me (I was her star student :P). The humanities teachers at my school have weird policies regarding rec letters, so I haven’t secured one yet. I am either going to get one from my Honors Lit teacher (who I also had for freshman year) or my APUSH teacher.

In regards to my ECs and awards: I am an AP Scholar with Honor. I have 5 awards: 1 6th place award at a DECA regional competition (I was also a state competitor). I have 3 gold medals from Science Olympiad (multi-state invitational and regional levels), and one silver medal (state level). I am taking Physics at a local CC, and I also want to take dual enrollment Organic Chemistry at the same CC for the coming year. I am going to become VP of Events for Science Olympiad next year (kind of team captainish, but in charge of all comps affairs). I was top 2 in my school for Chem Olympiad, but could not go to take the next exam due to a high local cutoff (my section is infamous for high local cutoffs), but I plan to continue this for next year. I do community service (around 50 or so hours so far), and I am currently volunteering at a sports camp for children with disabilities. I am a self-employed tutor that writes tests and helps kids struggling in Chemistry (~20 undocumented hours). I played three instruments: the piano, flute, and the cello (I played in my school’s orchestra). I also played two sports Track (distance runner) and Tennis (doubles).

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You can be admitted to medical school from ANY UG school you are looking at including your safeties. It depends how well you have done in your UG, your goal is to get all A’s in UG and you will be successful no matter where you go.

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That’s a very respectable list of activities. I don’t think those are unreasonable reaches, but of course you’ll have to have some schools on your list that are easier to get into. Case Western comes to mind as a strong science school, U of Rochester, or RIT, and of course whatever your state university system offers.