My GPA dropped during junior year
I'm usually a straight A, occasional B student, but last year I crashed. I lost a family member, I had to take on a job, I was adjusting from being online for 2 years, and I took on too many clubs during the school year. MY GPA dropped from a 3.7 to a 3.4, and I know the grades I got last year are extremely unusual for me. I plan to explain this as I apply to colleges, but should I go ahead and forget about some of the harder schools I'm applying to? I got a 30 ACT, and I'm very active inside and outside of school. I have strong stats everywhere but my GPA. Let me know my chances of getting into schools like UNC (Chapel) and UT Austin
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2 answers
I think that you still have a chance at getting into UNC Chapel Hill, UT Austin, and even more selective schools. Here are a few factors which will make up for your GPA:
- Your idea of explaining the circumstances behind your GPA drop will greatly benefit your applicant to every school on your list. Colleges take extenuating circumstances seriously.
- If you can show an upward trend in your grades and become a mostly A student again, colleges will see that your junior year really was an anomaly.
- Retake the ACT/SAT - a 30 is a decent score, but any extra points will help you a lot. A 1550 on the SAT or 35 on the ACT (or even higher) could give you an especially big admissions boost.
Hope this helps!
The schools you're considering are public ivies. They're selective when it comes to admissions, but not as much as the actual Ivies. You have a valid reason for the drop; moreover, a 3.4 GPA is not bad for these schools, so don't give up yet.
If you're in the top 6% of your graduating high school AND if your high school is in Texas, you can get auto-admission into UT Austin, although not necessarily your desired major. Still, you have a better chance of getting in than out-of-state applicants.
Basically, applying to an in-state public university will increase your chances of admission.
Hope this helps!
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