<p>I have a special circumstance in which in my soph. year my relatives had to stay for 4-6 months at my house (relatives as in 4 people ).</p>
<p>It was hectic. I had to manage them and their "demands" and at the same time my school work. I didnt have my own room, i had no transportation to the library. I couldnt study frankly.</p>
<p>Thats why there was a "dip" in my grades in my soph. year.</p>
<p>Should i include this. My trend was like this</p>
<p>Freshman: 3.1
Soph: 2.9
Junior: 3.5</p>
<p>I do understand it was probably a rough time for you and it probably did affect your grades, but there are going to be applicants who had much more difficult "Poor grades due to XYZ". Say an illness, or bankruptcy. If you genuinely explain, adcoms might have some sympathy, but I wouldn't bet on it. You just gotta decide if you want to use an essay to explain this. I would maybe mention it in the "Additional Information" section.</p>
<p>Well, like Azhir said your situation isn't as touching as illness or XYZ its still affected you so its worth mentioning. I would just make sure that you say it hurt you, but instead of complaining try to use it as a learning experience that propelled you and made you better for junior year hence 3.5 instead of a 3.1 or something lower.</p>
<p>Yes, if you feel it affected your grades, then let them know about it. You have nothing to lose by mentioning it. It may not seem like a big problem to some, but if four of my extended family members moved in with me when my kids were in high school, it would have been chaotic. Also, if they had to move in with you, there likely were extenuating family circumstances that may deserve to be mentioned as well. Be sure to so as suggested above: describe the situation without whining and then tell them how the experience allowed you to grow into your increased gpa the following year. And, hey, if it is as simple as you had a quiet place to do your homework, then just tell them that. Good luck.</p>