<p>give the guy a break guys, admissions people have hearts too… if he has supplements to his gpa he still stands a chance</p>
<p>Acarta, the Cs and Ds were mostly isolated to freshman year, and I did have a large upward trend. My writing and reading were both 800s, though my math was nearly 200 points lower. My essays were very good, and that is the main criteria by which they go. I have no connections to the school, nor any special hooks/URM status. Our school does have a good track record with UChi though. But I’m a testament to the fact that a low GPA alone is not a death sentence. Don’t lose hope.</p>
<p>avster, your progress is indicative of an average to below average high school student, yet you want to apply to a few of the most selective, most prestigious institutions in the nation. unless you are the victim of very life-changing circumstances, i would say that northwestern, umich, usc, and loyola are out of the question. naturally, however, if you can convince these schools (or any other 1st tier colleges, for that matter) that you were severely disadvantaged, you may have a slim, slim, slim chance (this must be coupled with outstanding ECs, recommendations, and test scores).</p>
<p>as for your bottom of 1st tier and 2nd tier and below colleges, as you stand right now, you have a slim chance so long as you turn your academic progress around. luckily, you are only a sophomore, and appear to be showing some upward progress as your 2nd semester comes to a conclusion. if you want to be considered for 2nd tier colleges, you need to achieve mainly As (mostly As) and Bs for the remainder of your high school career. hopefully, you also have a reasonable explanation for your below-average grades (the two Ds, two D+s and the F). also, you need to show your academic competency somehow, and the best way is through earning a high (well above average) SAT/ACT/SAT II score. Without a doubt, you need to obtain high test scores in order to be considered for 2nd tier colleges.</p>
<p>On the plus side are your ECs. You show a fair amount of involvement in activities (you probably need to do more, though).</p>
<p>Bottom line, if you want to attend any good 2nd tier school:
- As and Bs for rest of HS
- very good ACT/SAT score
- strong involvement, join nhs or something
- show strong turnaround</p>