<p>I am a sophemore and I did horrible last year as a freshman.( I got 2 F's) However this year as a sophemore I have really turned it around and I have a 3.5 unweighted and 3.6 weighted. I am in the film club at my school and I volunteer every for 5 hours every weekend at a homeless shelter. Any chance left?</p>
<p>Loyola is becoming more competitive and had close to 11,000 applications last year. The average GPA was 3.5 and many of the students Loyola attracts come from very strong high schools with pretty rigorous course loads.
I believe you will need to continue your upward grade trend with a strong course load to have any chance. Any hook you may have such as athletics, a special talent, or URM could help. Loyola is SAT/ACT optional now, but I believe a strong test score in either test also would help. Remember, you will be up against a lot of excellent candidates and a lot of strong students are rejected by Loyola so you will need to make yourself stand out.
Maybe there is a good explanation for your poor freshman year performance. Maybe it took you a year to grow up. In any case, do not give up. Continue you upward trend and continue to work hard. Loyola may be a long shot now but good things will happen if you continue on your path.
Good Luck</p>
<p>Those Fs in your freshman yr will not look good no matter where you apply, however if the reason was something like illness, family crises, etc make sure it is shown in your applications. A simple short note from your guidance counselor will do the trick. Colleges know that “things can happen” to even the best students. </p>
<p>Colleges also know that the 14 year old is not the person who is coming to their school, the 18 year old is. If it wasn’t because of illness, crisis, etc, but rather because you took a while to grow up, continue to make yourself shine by keeping the grades the highest you can, and engage in activities that showcase your maturity, responsibility, etc. Choosing someone who knew you “before” and “after” to write a letter that remarks on how you matured, how reliable you are and so on would be helpful.</p>
<p>Loyola says they regard “character” as very important in making their decisions. Show them you are now what they are looking for.</p>