<p>Rather than boring everyone to tears with my life story, I will try to make this short and sweet, to whatever extent that is possible. (In retrospect, I didn’t realize this was going to be so long so you can skip to the end for a brief summary.)</p>
<p>I am currently a high school junior residing in Michigan. I will not be a first generation college student either. My mother attended the University of Wisconsin at Lacrosse for a few years, but I don’t think she ever finished her degree. My stepfather, the only father figure I have known, worked in manual labor (factor work) all of his life. Both of them are now disabled, and I have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. As you can imagine, we are not the most wealthy family in the world, but we make do with what we have. I am a caucasian male if that helps at all, since some universities give additional attention to minorities. </p>
<p>That said, I had a reduced schedule in both 8th and 9th grade because of a Section 504. The eighth grade schedule was even further reduced by the fact that I tested out of two full year courses, so out of seven classes I only had three. The next year, I also had my schedule reduced to four classes rather than six (our middle school has seven classes per day, high school has six.) My schedule was:</p>
<p>World History
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Biology
Comp Lit 9</p>
<p>However, as a freshman I did not make an effort to succeed, I slacked and had an absolutely terrible GPA, which was about 2.0 first semester and 1.9 the second. Now it has followed me and has made my cumulative GPA look really bad.</p>
<p>Sophomore year was the first year I had a full load. First semester classes are as follows:</p>
<p>Debate
American Lit
Pre-Calculus
Honors Chemistry
AP US History
Exploring Computer Science</p>
<p>Second semester was: </p>
<p>Web Design
American Lit
Pre-Calculus
Honors Chemistry
AP US History
Psych 1</p>
<p>My sophomore year alone was about a 3.0 unweighted. (1.25 AP multiplier.) I got a 4 on the APUSH exam in May.</p>
<p>Now as a junior it’s getting much harder for me to compensate for my 9th grade slacking. I’ve noticed that good grades are exponentially more difficult to obtain as the target GPA is increased (ie. a 3.666 is a lot harder to get than, say, a 3.00 or 3.333.) I am currently taking:
Spanish 1
Economics
Honors Physics
AP Calculus AB
AP Chemistry
World Lit.</p>
<p>Next semester I am taking:
Spanish 1
AP American Government
Honors Physics
AP Calc
AP Chem
World Lit
Our semester concludes in about two months, but my in progress GPA is a 3.2 unweighted and a 3.5 weighted. Even with that, my cumulative is still hovering around a 2.7 because of the aforementioned freshman year. </p>
<p>I plan to take AP Physics, AP Stats, Spanish 2, Psych 2 (or maybe AP Psych, haven’t decided,) and dual enroll at a nearby community college or university for Calc 2 and an astronomy course. I will be taking the ACT this April, but I have taken practice tests and have gotten a composite score of 30, 1890 on the SAT (not that great from my understanding), and took the PSAT this past October, and for whatever it’s worth have had my IQ tested and it was around 125-130. </p>
<p>Unfortunately due to my difficulties with mobility, I don’t really get the opportunity to take part in extracurricular activities like many students can, although I do try to stay moving as much as I can athletically. I try to park farther away from the school to stay in shape since my doctor has said that not being completely sedentary is beneficial for the arthritis. Additionally, I play baseball for a month over the summer but that’s pretty much it. </p>
<p>I am fascinated by physics, astrophysics in particular. Whatever chance I have I am reading about it or thinking about it. I have over one hundred percent in the honors physics class I am currently taking. </p>
<p>The main issue of mine is actually a combination of two problems. The first is the fact that I can’t magically wish away my freshman year and erase my immature carelessness. The second is that astrophysics is a relatively rare major. Many people in the past have suggested I just go for the four years with general physics as a major, but I’d like to be as prepared as I can be, since most astrophysics related careers require a doctorate, and the jobs are quite competitive. </p>
<p>As such, there are only a handful of universities in my state (Michigan) that offer the major that I seek, however I can and will consider any alternatives that you guys propose. I’m wondering about my chances getting into my dream school, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and my backup plan, Michigan State University. </p>
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<p>In short: I am passionate about a topic that is only offered at some of the more selective schools. I am intelligent but have had hiccups along my high school journey, including my fight with arthritis, which has inhibited my ability to take part in extracurriculars as extensively as others have. I am most certainly not from a wealthy family, but I’m not homeless either. By the time I graduate I will have taken at least six AP courses and will dual enroll in my senior year at a nearby Michigan college or university. 9th grade GPA: 2. 10th grade GPA: 3. 11th grade (thus far): 3.5. Have not taken the ACT yet but got a 30 on a practice test of similar length. IQ range 125-130. What do you think my chances of getting into the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of California: Berkeley, or some other comparable college that offers an astrophysics major is based on the information I’ve provided you?</p>