Upward Trends

<p>Ive been hanging around here for awhile, so Ive noticed you guys talk alot about these upward trends. Are they really that good looking on college apps? I mean, wouldnt a person who has had a 3.80 their whole life be better than a person who started out with a 3.4 in 9th grade and ended with a 3.9 junior year gpa? Or is it reversed?</p>

<p>Sometimes the 3.4 to 3.9 is better because colleges look for a little something called "diversity". The upward trend + great essay indirectly showing maturity/success/epiphany >>> 3.8 whole life with great essays about his E.C.'s or something.</p>

<p>Edit: This isn't saying you should screw up on purpose freshman year. But if you have to screw up, definitely screw up freshman year.</p>

<p>What if my bad freshman grades ruin my class rank? How important is class rank in admissions? Would it be fine if I'm still top 10%? Even if I had incredible sophomore and junior years, would it hurt me that I'm not in the top 5%?</p>

<p>Important, but once again the amazing essay will get you into top colleges (as long as you are top 10%). I think everything rests on the essays in your case and then you could possibly get into Ivies and other top schools.</p>

<p>I had a huge upward trend
Freshman: 3.1
Softmore: 3.65
Junior: 3.95
Wrote about it in my essays, so far got into UCLA, still waiting on privates.</p>

<p>as did i</p>

<p>frosh - 3.3
soph - 3.75
junior- 4.0</p>

<p>i was wondering for schools that dont count ninth grade, can i be ranked based only on soph/junoir years?</p>

<p>I had none-</p>

<p>Fresh - 3.9 UW and W (both semesters)
Soph - 4.0 UW and 4.1 W (both semesters)
Junior - 3.9 UW 4.5 W (1st) & 4.0 W UW 4.66 W (2nd Sem)</p>

<p>how do I cal my gpa? if I use my schools method it would be a 3.35 uw.
if I use the method A=4, B=3, C=2, my gpa would be a 3.64?
how should I look at my gpa?</p>

<p>A - 4
B - 3
C - 2</p>

<p>Add one point for honors and AP</p>

<p>Add it all up (from both semesters), than divide by the number of classes (2 per year b/c there is two semester in a year)</p>

<p>is that how colleges do it? mine would be a 4.377 that way? is that good?</p>