What to do with low GPA and high test scores after being held back for one semester
Due to various health issues, I failed most classes in my freshman year. I also had to do an extra semester as a freshman. My transcript shows 3 semesters for 9th grade and 1 semester for 10th grade. Besides the year I failed, I got all As except for one B in math during the extra freshman semester. I also had an IEP due to ADHD but I didn't really use any accommodations and I got rid of it after my sophomore year. I'm wondering how all of this would affect my application.
Also how much would an upward trend help me? My grades and course rigor increased every year but I'm not sure how to explain the circumstances for my poor grades to colleges. I had a respiratory infection that wouldn't go away, so my parents enrolled me in online school during 9th grade cause they were worried about COVID. But I did so bad that I had to get tested for a learning disability and got diagnosed with ADHD. After I got treatment and went back to school in person, my grades got much better. I'm just worried that since I have good test scores but poor GPA and extracurriculars, colleges will see me as lazy.
Stats
GPA: 3.3 weighted/3.0 unweighted
I can get it up to around 3.7W/3.2UW by the end of first semester senior year.
SAT: 1570 fall 2023
ACT: 36 Spring 2024
Both of these were in one attempt if that helps, maybe for schools that don't do superscores.
Course rigor:
Freshman year: 2 Honors
Extra freshman semester + sophomore semester: 4 Honors
Junior year: 2 APs (5 on APES and precalc), 4 Honors classes
Senior year: 4 APs (calc ab & bc, physics 1, stat) and 4 Honors classes, also did 3 community college classes in the summer
ECs :
-math, English, and test prep tutoring; self-employed
-youth leadership program; accepted junior & senior year (not very selective)
-volunteering for environmental club at school
-volunteering at food bank
-small handmade jewelry business
-social media art account reaching a couple thousand people every month
-translating/transcribing/captioning videos from Korean to English (self studied)
-housekeeping and dog-walking for neighbor
-rock climbing for 6 years (not sure if this counts)
-selling action figures (not sure about this one either)
Awards and honors:
-free online HTML web design certificate??
Advice on what I can do? Not sure which schools to target since my test scores are higher than average but my GPA is lower than average. Any help is appreciated.
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1 answer
Hi there!
First of all, this doesn't look terrible. The fact that you made a comeback after setbacks is SUPER important and will be respected if you explain the circumstances. On most college applications, there is an Additional Information section where you would put an explanation.
Write something brief that states the facts of the situation and then emphasizes the positive change. Something like this: "Low grades in freshmen year, (plus the additional freshmen semester) were due to a severe respiratory infection and ADHD diagnosis. Upon the diagnosis, I received the necessary treatment, returned to attending school in-person, studied diligently, and achieved high grades once again."
Your test scores will play a significant part in your college acceptance in a positive way. I don't think colleges will assume you are lazy since you have perfect test scores :) and your GPA is not awful.
If you would like some recommendations on what kind of schools to target, you can reply to this and tell me your major of interest and any other preferences OR you can give that info to ivy assistant and get a list of colleges (tip: if ivy gives you a shorter list, ask for more options several times until you get a good list of colleges to look up.)
Hope this helps and lmk if you have any questions!
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Thank you for the detailed response! I'm interested in statistics and my top choice is NC state but I hear it's harder to get in for statistics than most other majors. I would prefer a school in NC, or on the east coast in general. Price is the main factor, so I'm looking for schools that have good merit aid since I'm middle class. Other than that, I'm not too picky. Just not sure what schools would be target/safety/reach since my stats are wonky. Thanks again for your help.