Messed up my sophomore year, but did well my junior year. Any hope?

<p>Hi, unfortunately my sophomore year was not good. My parents made me move from Portland Oregon to Virginia the summer before sophomore year. I had never been to the east coast in my life and I missed my friends so much. I moved a lot when I was younger, mostly around California until I was 11 years old. Then I lived in oregon until I was 15 and I was finally somewhere that I felt comfortable and I never moved. I was finally able to grow up with the kids around me, rather than move. Anyway after I moved to Virginia that all changed.
Anyway, I'll get to the point.
I really messed up my sophomore year because I had a lot going on. We moved to Virginia (a place where I hated and did not fit in at all) and along with that I was stuck in a hotel room with my mom and my dad. My mom didn't think that she could get an apartment so we lived in a hotel, because that makes so much sense. To make it even better, my dad is an alcoholic so I had to deal with that every single night as well, in a small room. Anyway I was just wondering if I told universities about this, they would be more lenient about my sophomore year?
These are my classes and grades for sophomore year:
Spanish 2: A (1st semester) B (2nd semester)
Business Law: C (one semester)
Business Management: B (one semester)
World History: B (1st semester) B (2nd semester)
English 10 Honors: B (1st semester) B (2nd semester)
Chemistry: F (1st semester) B (2nd semester)
Geometry: C (1st semester) C (2nd semester)
Health: A (one semester)
PE: A (one semester)
So that's about a 2.7</p>

<p>For my junior year, I did a lot better even though I had a lot of the same stuff going on. I guess I just got more used to it. And also for the second semester, I had to switch to a new school because we moved to Maryland.</p>

<p>My classes and grades for junior year:
Film Studies: A (one semester)
AP Lang: C (1st semester) A (2nd semester)
AP US History: B (1st semester) A (2nd semester)
AP Psychology: B (1st semester) B (2nd semester)
SAT Prep: B (one semester)
Physics: C (one semester)
Honors Physics: C (one semester) I switched to honors physics because I couldn't stand the people in my physics class at the new school.
Algebra 2: C (1st semester) A (2nd semester)</p>

<p>I did a lot better the second semester, but I still did a lot better my junior year than my sophomore year.</p>

<p>I don't have many extracurricular activities, but in my sophomore year I was in FBLA (future business leaders of America). In junior year, I was in the Key Club but that was in the first semester so I wasn't able to do anything because I switched schools in December. Then at the school in Maryland I joined GEARS, which was a club to spread awareness about genocide. Though honestly, we didn't do much in that club either..</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm planning to take three or four AP classes for my senior year. I want to apply for universities in senior year and then tell them to postpone my enrollment because I want to do a gap year. I would be volunteering in other countries.
I haven't taken my SAT yet. I know I'm dumb. I'm going to try to take it twice senior year. I have taken like four PSATs though, and I keep getting around 1500-1650. I know that's not very good but I'm going to study more this summer.</p>

<p>Anyway this is really long. I want to go to CSULB or SDSU in California. Those are my top choices but I know that probably won't happen because I'm out of state. I'm most likely moving back to Oregon this summer, which I'm really happy about so I might go to a university there too. I'd prefer to not go to a university more east than Texas.</p>

<p>Anyway, do you think I would have any chances of getting into those schools? Did my sophomore year doom me of any chances? And how could I make myself have a higher chance?
Thanks for reading this really long post, and thanks for anyone who can help. :)</p>

<p>First off, I’m sorry to hear about your situation and I can personally relate to the pains of moving. I had to switch high schools going into junior year and had an absolutely terrible social experience until my senior year. </p>

<p>Anyway, you definitely stand a chance at some lower tier universities with your grades. The two you have listed seem unlikely, though I don’t know all that much about them besides basic statistics. I’m not familiar with schools in Oregon at all, but there are quality, small, not all that selective colleges all around the US. Do as best as you can senior year and make sure you get your guidance counselor to mention or write something yourself about the personal struggles you have had throughout high school on your college applications. I also urge you to work hard to score well on the SAT, which would be a big plus. </p>

<p>The worst case scenario is that you do one or two years at a community college before going to a university. Sometimes that is the better choice because you can go to a better university through that route.</p>

<p>Thanks for answering. :slight_smile:
Yeah, moving really does suck especially during high school.
Yeah I will definitely talk to my counselor about that, so that she can explain in the recommendation.
I’m gonna have some safety schools just in case as well.
Thanks ! :)</p>