<p>I'm a high school freshman, and we just completed our first semester grades. I got a C in Algebra II, and a B in PE. The rest of my grades are various A's. I was diagnosed with patellofemoral syndrome this semester and had a few problems getting back into things. I stayed home a lot. It was hard.</p>
<p>I'm still in a lot of extracurriculars - I'm in ASB, I was in tennis this year (I don't know if I can play next year with my knee), I'm in the California Scholarship Federation, I'm on the council for a cultural club, and am in another community service club.</p>
<p>I plan to get straight A's for the rest of the semesters (starting tomorrow!), and I plan to get a 2300 on the SAT. (I got 1600 without studying last summer; before I was even in high school).</p>
<p>Do I still have a chance for Berkeley Economics? Is there anything else I can do to boost my chances and cover up my mistakes? Can I talk about it in my personal statement?</p>
<p>Every dean that’s visited my school, even those from prestigious schools, have said that they actually think it speaks very well of a student to have made a change. Basically, if you start out making c’s as a freshman and as a sophomore are making straight a’s with a similar course load, it shows your commitment and that you can make a change for the better and that you’re motivated. I don’t know specifics about Berkeley but if you have a good resume and GPA overall they won’t care about one C, and your hardships could make a good essay, although I’d recommend writing about something super unique so it leaves an impression on the committee. My counselor advised me to choose an “unforgettable” topic so when they came back to my name trying to make a decision they’d remember my essay. Anyway, if you can make that SAT score and an equally good ACT and improve your grades, I’m sure you’ll be fine virtually anywhere, provided you take the hardest classes you can and start doing some great ECs. I wish someone had told me that as a freshman, because I got disheartened by a hard class and thought I couldn’t fix my GPA and never got too deep into ECs. Start thinking about a common thread for your app - go deep into a few similar ECs, and I mean really deep, and maybe write about them in your essay and just have a congruent app.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help. I definitely am going to try way harder this semester and onwards because I know now that I can’t let pain get to me and ruin my entire future. :]</p>