I didn’t have the best freshman year. I got a 2.6 GPA (weighted, for all BTW) first semester. Then got a 3.4 second semester. For first semester of sophomore year I got a 3.4 GPA. I also took the PSAT and got a 1000. Second semester I got a 3.6. I then took summer school to get ahead (spanish 3) and got a A’s both semesters. Junior year first semester: 4.0. I also took the PSAT again and got a 1280. Second semester I got a 4.2. I have taken the SAT and got a 1340. I took 2 honor courses freshman and sophomore year each. I took 3 AP’s Junior year. I was in cross country and track Junior year. I was also in Track freshman and sophomore year, but not cross country. I have 50 service hours. I took 7 courses junior year as opposed to the usual 6. I am taking the SAT again. What kind of person do I convey to someone who reviews my transcript? I mean, that 2.6 GPA freshman year to a 4.2 has to mean something.
What do college admission officers look at when reviewing your transcript? I had a rough start to HS
You might end up at a decent state school if you can get good recommendation letters and improve your SAT score.
Hate to break it to you, but while a 2.6 > 4.2 is a great achievement(especially for poor students), there are many students out there with 4.2 GPA’s that have always had 4.2 GPA’s.
Having an upward trend in grades sets you above your peers when it comes to cumulative GPA (which I assume yours is pretty low due to averaging). However, you are still far behind your peers when it comes to individual semester GPA.
Be proud that you’ve worked hard to improve yourself. I hope the growth and success continue. Really, this growth is what makes life successful and satisfying in the long run.
Obviously it is less than ideal to have lower grades early but it can potentially be overcome. Keep working hard. Finish strongly this year. Do something this summer that shows your commitment to work hard and learn. It could be a camp or training program but also a job. Jobs can be great. They show a good work ethic and you earn money. They also provide a sense of satisfaction that is important. Doing something, if possible, is important.
Take challenging courses next year and work hard at them. Keep up with track and cross country and work hard at that.
When you apply, highlight your growth. Why did you decide to work harder? What motivated you? We all like stories, right? Tell a compelling one about how you’ve grown and what you hope to accomplish in the future. That can be powerful and overcome a lot.
Not nearly as important, but something to think about strategically: I’m not sure if you are male or female. If male, you will have an advantage at schools that have a relatively large number of female students (>54%). Something like 56% of college students are female. Schools often appreciate hardworking, successful male applicants because they are not seeing enough of them to maintain a balance in their student bodies. The admissions director at my alma mater (national university) told a gathering that this was the case at the school. People we know at Kalamazoo College (a very good LAC) said they work extra hard to attract qualified male applicants. Why wouldn’t it want to reward your hard-won success? If female, your similar advantage would be at STEM schools, where the student bodies are often heavily male. Of course, in that case, you might not be interested in STEM fields, although these schools often offer a range of majors. But in either case, you might be able to find some competitive advantage that offsets the lower overall GPA caused by freshman year.
Anyway, good luck!
You might do much better in admissions than you think. There are a lot of factors at play. Are you male? That might work in your favor. Colleges are more forgiving of males in general. Are you an underrepresented minority? In this instance, it will probably help you. Are there any mitigating circumstances that a counselor might want to explain, such as poor home life, poverty, illness, etc…? Are you first generation to go to college? A yes to any of those will help.
Your strong upward trend will help a lot at almost any school. Some schools do not look at Freshman year grades, notably Canadian schools, the UC’s and Stanford. If you carry on improving, and especially if you can get an SAT score in the region of 1450, I predict you will be a strong applicant for many schools. Try the ACT too, you might do better.
I agree with the posters above that if you can explain what it was that prompted you to take a greater interest in school, your rocky start might be minimized in the review. It is probably important that you make sure that your transformation be reflected in your essay as well as your recommendations.
It is probably a good idea to be somewhat strategic in your applications. Schools that rely solely on GPA and do not drop the freshman year will be a challenge. Ones that admit more holistically may really like your story.
@Lindagaf Yes, I am a male.
@Lindagaf
Home life is a little rough, but not between me, more like parents fighting. Or one of my siblings. I will be a first generation to go to college hopefully. In terms of being a minority, my parents are from Bangladesh, which I consider to be pretty underrepresented. (I’m usually saying stuff like “It’s in Asia” or “Next to India”). Oh, I am California based, and plan to apply to most UC’s
@RMNiMiTz Will colleges take into account the competitiveness of your school?
First gen is good, but you are Asian. Unfortunately that makes you an ORM in college admissions, but it doesn’t matter so much for the UCs.
Millions of people have that kind of home life. I am thinking more along the lines of extreme poverty, very serious issues, etc… Not that colleges admit based on sob stories, but more that they like it when a kid succeeds despite very challenging circumstances. I would apply to some CSU’s too in your shoes.
@Lindagaf Understood. If I were to get in the 1400’s for my SAT, what UC’s do you think I’ll have a good shot in? If i set myself a goal, I can usually accomplish it.
I thought it was the other way around. Mind clarifying?
I’m pretty sure that Asians do not qualify for URM, especially in California (where Asians make up the majority of the students. Also, California schools are race-blind (though that is different from ethnic background).
Also, are you from Bangladesh or is it just your parents. Being first-generation immigrant helps out a lot (especially if English was not your first language and you immigrated to the US later on in life).
If you got a 1400, I would say perhaps Riverside or Irvine.
@RMNiMiTz I meant just that. In general, colleges are more forgiving of rough academic patches from boys than from girls. More girls are now in college than boys. Girls have better grades than boys in all subjects, according to a 2014 report by the APA, and more girls than boys apply to and attend college. Example: Brown University receives about 25% more apps from females. They admit equal numbers. At most LACs, being a male gives you an advantage. Many very selective colleges are willing to overlook a couple of C’s on a boys transcript whereas a girl won’t have that luxury. But of course there are exceptions. Being male is not an advantage if applying to MIT.
UCs and CSUs recalculate GPA using 10th-11th grades; see https://secure.csumentor.edu/planning/high_school/gpa_calculator.asp . UC also calculates variants: unweighted, weighted-capped (as described in the link), and weighted-uncapped (unlimited honors points).
UC admission readers will see your entire record when doing holistic reading. CSU plugs GPA into a formula with test scores to rank order applicants to campuses and majors.
UCs and CSUs do not consider race/ethnicity in admissions.
“Be proud that you’ve worked hard to improve yourself. I hope the growth and success continue. Really, this growth is what makes life successful and satisfying in the long run.”
I agree.
This upward trend is a very good sign and will help you get into very good universities. I would completely forget about UCLA and UCB and Stanford, but there is no reason to go to these “big name” schools in order to be very successful in life. There are a lot of very good universities that you should be able to get into with your grades.
@dadoftwingirls Thank you. I’ve worked hard to the extent that my teacher thought I was cheating on tests. It was actually quite funny. Allow me to explain, I had a C in geometry first semester and second semester I got a A-. I got an A on the first test of second semester (never happened during first), and then another A, then A, (might’ve gotten a B like once or twice), and so on. One day, my teacher told me to take the test next to his desk and keep my phone, watch, and other stuff at my desk and to only bring a pencil, eraser, and calculator. Then he cleared the memory on my calculator to make sure I didn’t hide any equations and such. He watched me through out the test, but I didn’t mind. I remember I got a 96 on that test. And since I was in his first geometry period, there was no way people could have told me what questions were on the test. Ever since that C, I have gotten A’s in my math courses. UCLA is too close to me, so wasn’t really planning to apply there unless I get in the high 1400’s-1500’s on my SAT. Berkeley is a bit too liberal for me and a little unsafe, (wouldn’t get in anyhow unless I scored high on my SAT. Stanford, is like no chance unless I get a perfect score on my SAT, start my own non-profit, become my town’s mayor, and save the president.
Right, but wouldn’t that only be for select majors (education, hospitality, etc. etc.) where females dominate? I honestly don’t see colleges forgiving a male when it comes to majors like computer science, engineering, or business.
I said in general, @RMNiMiTz . I am not trying to dissect every major and which hook trumps which other. For the garden variety undeclared major at many types of colleges, it helps to be male.
I guess you are right, it’s just my STEM-mind has always put me into this frame of mind.
Like for real (not to go onto a rant or everything), all I see everywhere at school is posters trying to push girls into STEM, teachers giving lectures trying to get girls into STEM, incentives for women in STEM at colleges etc. etc. etc.
I don’t really know too much about liberal arts so I suppose logically it would make sense that they forgive males more.
For UCs and CSUs, gender does not matter in admissions.
OP, what is your GPA as calculated by the UC and CSU method (weighted capped)?