<p>Look, I don't need 20 different people telling me that my gpa will be subpar. I know this, and unfortunately, I am extremely limited as to what I can do about it in Cornell standards. Regardless, though, I am not going to let it hold me back from trying to fulfill my dream, so be encouraging, but please be honest. I will really appreciate your responses.
The reason why I say my gpa will be subpar is because I'm at the end of my sophomore year in high school, and I had no ambition and drive for academic excellence in freshman year, and the beginning half of this year as well. Things have changed though; the cause of these changes being too complicated for me to just type, but yeah, stuff happened, and I got a wake up call into reality. As for right now, including my mess ups earlier in high school, my gpa is almost an 87% (3.2- My HS calculates via a scale out of 100). After this semester that I'm wrapping up, however, I have anticipated through my own calculations that my gpa will be around an 88% (3.3). My high school only calculates weighted gpa as well for students who take honors/ AP courses [I've only taken two honors courses so far (this semester)- next year it will be a whole different story though], but the weight added for honors/ AP classes is not much here. Anyway, long story short, my gpa at the end of high school will be around a 3.6, possibly a little over a 3.7. It feels so horrible knowing that I could've gone all the way to a 4.0 if I had worked this hard earlier, with easier classes too, which by the way, 4.0 is my average this semester. If I take a lot of honors/ AP courses next year, however, and do really well on them, can be subpar grades earlier in high school be somewhat overlooked? Obviously someone who gets an A in AP Environmental Science has no excuse as to why he/she got a B- in Freshman Integrated Science. Then again, that B- did not show his/her full potential. Well that person is me. My ECs will be good- I plan on applying for the Environmental Science and Sustainability major, and I have various ECs that exemplify my passion for helping the environment (and other passions too)- which will also help me write a good essay, considering I hear Cornell is a big "fit" school. Now what I'm asking is, considering all of this, and if I do well on the ACT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Exams, take a good amount of AP and honors courses from now on, maintain my EC involvement, and bring my gpa up to 3.6 as I mentioned above- will I be an applicant with a fair chance of getting admitted to CALS? I'll be applying ED as well. Once again, thanks to those who take the time to respond. And yes, I know I'm competing against valedictorians, etc. I've heard that one hundreds of times.</p>
<p>The GPA will hurt because lack of consistency matters. Many people apply (and are rejected) who had 4 stellar years. That said, freshman year won’t matter as much. As long as you take the hardest courses possible and do very well in those advanced course, your chances won’t be all that bad. Try to make sure you are aggressively pursuing your passions outside the classroom whatever they may be to have good EC’s. Standardized tests will matter more for your chances if your GPA will be on the low side, so shoot for a 2200+ to give yourself a good shot. Otherwise don’t stress too much about getting in. Do what you can and try not dwell on your freshman grades.</p>
<p>You might start thinking about making the “wake up call” the theme of [or part of] your personal essay. You will want the admission readers to draw a distinction between 9th grade you and 10-12 you. What mikeyc765 said also. Knock the SATs out of the park and ace your last three years, and your frosh foolishness will not be fatal.</p>
<p>What state you are from & your high school’s past history with Cornell could help you. We are a rural upstate NY high school, that every year gets kids accepted to CALS who are below the average stats.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for the responses. I am from a pretty respectable Massachusetts public high school. This year a girl got accepted to the hotel school from here, and we’ve had others in the past get accepted. I agree, I will really need to study hard for the standardized tests. And thanks for the essay suggestion for the “wake up call”. I hadn’t actually thought about that, and it could be something I’d write on the common app. I feel reassured. Thanks for taking the time to help me!</p>