Im a Southern California high school student and I have a gpa of 2.8-3.0ish (yikes). i just got my ACT results back as a 25 BUT im retaking the test in September and im aiming for a 29/30, with lots of studying im fairly confident i can do it. I am applying for most CSUs next fall and a few out of state schools.
I know, my GPA is terrible and basically labels me as stupid or lazy. However, i have some reason for this. When i was a sophomore i was dealing with a lot of problems at home such as my brother becoming a heroin addict which tore our family apart and caused a lot of emotional stress on top of our financial stress. I fell into depression and stopped trying in school which was fairly easy for me do since my courses (AP european civilization, chemistry, honors humanities, and math i could hardly understand) were challenging enough for me even if i tried. I got Ds in math and chemistry and Bs and C’s in everything else. This brought my GPA down a lot. This year as a junior ive learned to cope and i also have learned the methods that work for me when i study. I have gotten mainly As and Bs this year with one C. I also took AP art history. I want to tell the admissions people at the schools im applying to the reason behind my poor GPA. I heard that theres no place on the applications to explain my grades so i was going to email them instead. Is this a bad idea?
Will any of these schools accept me? Are there any other schools that would accept me other than the CSUs?
Sorry this is long im just really concerned.
Sorry if there are parts where nothing really makes sense, im on my phone so this could be difficult to read!
Ur gpa isnt terrible. Just keep working hard and you will be rewarded 
Looks like you can get into some of the CSUs. What’s wrong with those?
Honestly, I know people with worse gpas then you and still get into really good schools. And the fact that you took AP classes will make you look like s good applicant. Your ACT isn’t too shabby and I’m sure that can be improved. Just keep working hard and try getting only As and Bs but mostly As and you will be fine!
Have you calculated your academic indexes at some of the CSU’s to see what your score is. That would give you a better idea of what you are dealing with. Also some of the lesser known CSUs like Humboldt might be good as well as UC Merced.
If you want to explain your condition, which I am sorry for what you had to endure through, there should be a section in the application called “special circumstances” which is meant for these types of things.
Definitely try to raise your grades before the school year ends. If you end up with a 3.0 and a solid ACT score, you should be in for some of the Cal States. Probably can’t get into UC’s (sorry) as you have D’s and your GPA even with a 30 ACT is too low for automatic admission.
Here’s the link for the UC’s auto admission:
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/california-residents/admissions-index/
If all else fails, you can still go to community college, work hard there, and transfer to a UC/CSU after 2 years of hard work. You’ll be able to succeed as once you go to CC, it’s basically a clean slate so you can fully utilize your better study habits.
Thanks for the replies! I’m hoping for Chico, Sonoma, San Francisco and Sacramento and San Marcos
Am I likely to get into those? If I get a 28/29 ACT?
By the way I just calculated my CSU eligibility index and with what I have now it’s an 810 however if I get a 29 on the act which is my goal it will be a 850 and I’m confident I will achieve that goal in the fall
CC is an excellent route for the UC system as many spots are reserved for transfer students. Lots of friends when to Foothills CC and transferred to Cal. That route would get you a better education at the lowest possible cost.
Yeah I’ve definitely considered CC but I want to get into a four year so I know I’m there!
And I actually like the CSUs a little better than the UCs I think