<p>Hey,</p>
<p>My grades for freshman and sophomore year were quite good. I wasn’t top of my class but they were still good grades. Mostly As and Bs. Our country’s educational system is modeled under the English one, and as such, I did A-Levels, and before that, GCSEs. When junior year started, my grades dropped. By American standards (different grading system), it was mostly Cs and Ds, with the odd A or B creeping in. But in my last exams (I <em>retook</em> my A-Levels), I’ve done better than the last time. I don’t even have an excuse for that. I just didn’t find the work I was doing at school interesting at all. I thought things would get harder but they only got more tedious and it was hard to stay focused. I was depressed for quite a long time (2-3 years) but again, I don’t think this is a valid excuse. There are so many students, who in spite of their difficult situations, are still able to bring home good grades. In any case, I just didn’t find the work interesting at all, so I just learned other things on my own and spent my time reading, writing, exploring new music and films. While we don’t calculate GPAs here, a rough estimate of what it’d be is probably around 3.2/4.0.</p>
<p>Having said that, I’m working hard for the SATs and I am confident that I can score well (>700 on every section) there. I also have a very good relationship with the teachers I’ve chosen to write my recommendation letters and I know that they will be able to write me good letters. </p>
<p>In terms of ECs, I’ve done the usual stuff. Ranging from a drama and basketball at school, to MUN and debate. Nothing too interesting in that regard. But then I also teach ESOL (set up a “center”) to children who live right down the street I live in and I’m also interning at an NGO (education related), where I teach children, do some “admin work” and am developing a guide that will be used by other teachers there to teach children in various centers. </p>
<p>I’m also a pretty good writer and while I haven’t written a novel or anything, I write stuff every now and then. I’d say that I have material that’s good enough to be worthy of an “art supplement”. I would like to major in applied math or physics and also take various courses in history, economics, politics, philosophy and literature. In that regard, a liberal arts college like Reed or St. Olaf would definitely be a good fit. But I don’t know whether I’m shooting too high or if I’d actually have a shot there. If it weren’t for my bad grades, I think I could get in but obviously, they are pretty average and that completely limits my options, because I need lots of financial aid. (one of my parents is 60+ and the other is nearing 60)</p>
<p>Again, I should point that if I could do it again, I’d suck it up and put more effort. I don’t mean to brag but I never had to work hard to get good grades and with minimal effort, I knew I could “survive”, as far as grades go. In fact, scrap that part where I said the word “brag” - I’m a ashamed about what I did. Or in this case, what I didn’t do. But hey, that’s water under the bridge and I’m not a big fan of regret. Instead, I find that spending my energy and time to make the future more comfortable, for everybody else and I, is a better alternative to whining. </p>
<p>Which colleges would you suggest I look at, bearing in mind that in spite of my low grades, other parts of my application are solid? By “solid”, I don’t mean “Ivy-material”. Just “solid”!</p>
<p>I’d appreciate any help that could be provided to me. I’m also on a gap year, so I have some time on my hands. I really wouldn’t mind taking some time off of learning history and math, if it meant I could have a better shot at getting into a college in the US!</p>