<p>^ I would disagree with this advice. I faced an obstacle (medical illness/death of a family member/unexpected move/athletic challenge/etc.), put my mind on overcoming it and did so is very cliche and the adcoms at selective schools read thousands like that. It would be more helpful for your GC to just say in one line that your performance dipped sophomore year because of the family death and that your outstanding performance in the most rigorous classes available to you is better represented by your transcript in other years. Use your essays to stand out and engage the reader. When 75+% are turned down at competitive schools, your essay needs to put you in the minority and not sound like so many others.</p>