One bad semester Jr Year.. Are my chances ruined?

Applying to College
1

<p>There has been a definite upward trend in my grades until now. Right now, I'm a junior in high school. A dear friend of mine passed away a month ago suddenly, and for a week and or two, I failed every single assignment/test handed to me. I know that this was my fault, and I can't use excuses like this, but I had a very difficult time dealing with it and accepting it. Well my grades are about set in stone now, and it's the worst grades I've ever gotten. My GPA before this was a 3.71/4.0 unweighted.</p>

<p>AP Calc - C [This is my biggest concern, and as of now, there is no way for me to bring this to a B- at the very least. Would getting a high score on the AP exam somewhat offset this? I am considering retaking the course during the summer.]
AP Lit - B
AP Computer Science - A-
Government - A-
Spanish 2 - B+
AP Macroecon - A
PE - A
Physics - A-</p>

<p>I don't know what to do. Do I explain to the colleges what happened? I'm unsure whether to not mention it to not bring light to it, or to tell them exactly what happened. I've talked to my counselor at school and she said she could write a letter to explain. However, I don't want to seem like I'm making excuses. This really was my fault, and nothing changes that. Do colleges take personal statements/letters from counselors seriously?</p>

<p>The schools I wanted to apply to were Notre Dame (legacy, but I'm sure my chances are ruined now), Lehigh University, Brandeis, Villanova, Wake Forest, College of the Holy Cross, and a state school. Is there any chance, or should I set my sights a lower?
(33 ACT, 800 on Math 2 & Physics test, lots of volunteer and work hours, not much school involvement)</p>

2

<p>Get a high score on the AP test and explain it in the additional comment sections of your applications.</p>

3

<p>Lillygirl, a death of a close friend, especially in high school, is not an excuse, it is a tragedy. And I am very sorry that you have had to experience this at such a young age. Just do your best to deal with the loss, and focus as best as possible moving forward to get the best grades possible. When a college sees that your lower grades are an anomaly (with higher grades both before and after) – and you type a brief explanation in the “Additional Comments” section of the Common App, AND your guidance counselor mentions the loss and its effect in his/her letter … I am sure all will be fine.</p>