What do colleges think of uprising trends?

Applying to College
1

<p>Freshman year I had an UW GPA of 3.12. Sophomore year I had a 3.55. Junior year I had a 3.88. Senior year I'm predicting a 4.0. </p>

<p>Would colleges be more willing to accept me if they see a uprising trend in GPA over the years?</p>

2

<p>Depends on the college you’re applying to. If you’re talking about an Ivy, you’ll be competing against many, many applicants who have had strong academic records for all 4 years, and your chances will thus be very slim. But if it isn’t, then that’s a different story.</p>

3

<p>I think your SATs count more in this day and age. I’ve had a 4.0 uw GPA for 4 years. AP courses. Private school. But my SATs are really low. The only place I got into is UCMerced. The rest I’ve been waitlisted… Don’t want to blame my background on the SATs, but English is my 3rd language although I didn’t disclose that on any of my apps for personal reasons… !560 Sats and I should have taken the ACTs since I scored higher on pre tests… but I didn’t. So as far as an Ivy school is concerned, you might have an issue but for UCs or other top tier schools, just make sure your SATs are HIGH…</p>

4

<p>They might. I mean, Princeton doesn’t even factor freshman grades into the GPA they evaluate…</p>

5

<p>Rising trenders can have problems getting admitted ED or EA. Schools will want to see your sr. year 1st semester grades. Thus, your semester grades will be very important.</p>

<p>If there is a reason for your lower grades as a freshman you may want to provide that explanation, or better yet, have your guidance counselor explain. Examples would be illness, changing schools mid year, or other forms of duress that affect performance.</p>

6

<p>Look at it this way, an upward trend is better than a downward trend and sometimes better then a stagnant trend</p>

7

<p>Well, I did great on my ACT (I didn’t take the SAT since I did good on the ACT) and scored a 33. I’m pretty happy with it, since I know it’s above the 75% for most of the colleges I’m deciding on (BU, CalPoly SLO, Northeastern, UWMadison, UIllinois). </p>

<p>standrews, I don’t think I’m going to apply ED or EA, so it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>

<p>and kiterunner18, do you know any other schools, besides Ivys, that don’t factor in freshman year?</p>

8

<p>@btotheg,
I’m pretty sure Stanford doesn’t (though, Stanford is just as competitive as an Ivy).</p>