<p>Hey Guys, a while back I posted a thread asking about my chances for some selective schools. In the copy of it below, you will find that my freshmen grades were complete trash due to a death of a loved one and my inability to handle it properly. The lovely people you responded to my thread told me to tell my college counselor about it, but I just don't know how. Do I go up to them and be like, "Hey! My grandpa died in my 9th grade year, therefore give me an excuse for my entire freshmen winter!" (Sarcasm) I spoke to the Director of Psychological Services my 10th grade year about the issue for a couple of days, so can I include him into the explanation?</p>
<p>"While I was looking through the actual result threads and chance threads for competitive schools like Harvard, Yale, UC Berkley, Duke, ect. (Ivies and their equals). I noticed a lump of applicants with 4.0 GPAs. Apparently a large portions of students admitted have GPAs very very close to this magic number if Common App Data is to be believed.
Currently...
I have a 2400 SAT (Studied my butt off for this! Personal Advice: DON'T waste money on SAT courses they barely help!)
800 on the Chemistry SAT II, 800 on the Biology SAT II, and a 800 on the Math 2 SAT II
A 235 on the PSAT (Semi-Finalist so far)
APs: 5s on the AP Chemistry, Biology, Physics B, English 10, American History, and European History, and the Calculus AB test.
I have also participated and scored nationally in Olympiads like the USNCO, USABO (Didn't go International though...)
But a GPA that will end up somewhere around 3.6-3.8 depending upon my first trimester next year.</p>
<p>As you can see, I have always been able to test well, but it's my freshmen GPA that is screwing me over. I ended my freshmen year with a 3.1 GPA. I started off well, but in the Winter my grandfather died from cancer and my grand-uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Being away from home and my parents for the first time (I go to a selective boarding school in Massachusetts) and never experiencing the loss of a close family member before, this really devastated me, and you could see it in my grades. Before 10th grade started I got my game back together and continued to do well in school. For my sophomore and junior year I have gotten a 4.0 in both years alongside being a first inductee Cum Laude award winner (Meaning I was the top 10 percent of my class, although technically my school doesn't rank) Will colleges consider the huge upward trend, will they still remain confident with my academic ability? I am very well aware that grades are only a part of the crap-shoot that are Ivy league admissions."</p>
<p>I really doubt you are the first person who lost a loved one during school. Your college counselor is there to help you put your best foot forward. Set up an appointment, tell him/her what your plans are, explain the situation (you had a difficult time in your freshman year due to the death of your grandfather and then after a low time, you were able to get back on track) were and ask how to handle it on your application. Don’t overthink this.</p>
<p>You’re best resource for chances at top schools is going to be the counselor at the boarding school. However here’s my take.</p>
<p>1) Lot’s of kids have loved ones die during HS. Death of a grand parent isn’t as good an excuse as death of a parent, but if it affected you schools should know. </p>
<p>2) A 3.1 average at a competitive boarding school for 9th grade doesn’t sound particularly bad to me. </p>
<p>3) You don’t need a 4.0 to get into any of the schools you mention. Nor does a 4.0 necessarily get you in. You will have a much better idea of the GPA spread looking at Naviance for your school (see your counselor). </p>
<p>4) That said, you certainly sound like a strong candidate to me, and I’m sure you will have an excellent choice of reaches and matches at “good” schools. Don’t get sucked in comparing yourself with anonymous posters on a web site. You will be far happier (and more successful) if you play your own game.</p>
<p>@geo1113: Your SATs are superb – sincere congratulations on your HARD work and the concomitant results – and your GPA isn’t disqualifying. I suggest that your essay(s) explain – with passion and in detail – how losing a grandparent, as a high school freshman (which happened to me, too, over fifty years ago), may have altered/enhanced your values, your goals, your outlook on your future, and so forth. I wouldn’t make any excuses per se – and I certainly would accept responsibility for the freshman grades – but I would additionally emphasize what has happened in the last years, specifically including a major, continually trending improvement to your GPA. To complement this, your counselor’s recommendation MUST validate and document the facts: your grandparent’s death as a freshman, your comparatively poor performance that year, BUT also highlighting your fine recovery in subsequent years and your 2400 SAT (the counselor’s rec probably should go well beyond this, however, the foregoing minimum will ensure your essay(s) are entirely credible to admissions evaluators). I wish you good luck.</p>
<p>I’m going to start with a bottom line – the Ivies (and equivalents) are a crap shoot, but you should be fine.</p>
<p>First of all some schools don’t even look at 9th grade. Look at the Common Data Sets. </p>
<p>In any case, you need to sit down with your guidance counselor, if possible and ask the best way to handle this. (You’re not asking for a ‘pass’ for freshman year, but giving an explanation). If you have a religious leader who knows your family, it’s it might be possible to get a letter from him/her.</p>
<p>Finally, the general line here is that College Interviews don’t matter much. There are exceptions – one of which is where something comes up that helps put the application in focus (such as the effect a death in the family that might not have come through in the application completely).</p>
<p>Believe the schools when they say that it’s a holistic approach. They will understand that a 9th grader who lost a family member can have bad grades through the grieving process. Also, yours is not the first situation they have encountered. Your scores are obviously Top Top Top, and in 10th and 11th were commensurate with your ability It’s especially important for you not to slum Senior Year…</p>