Recovery. Is it possible?

oxfordwannabe
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:34:49 +0000

I want to preface this with how new I am to this forum. This post may be in the wrong subforum and I apologize in advance if this is misplaced. I figured this would be the right place but I could be wrong.

TL;DR: I have a bad GPA, is it game over?

My Freshman and Sophomore years in high school I was unmotivated and distracted. Academics were not a top priority, and I never put in the effort needed for success. Before my Junior year, I realised that I had dug myself an inescapable hole where I am left with little options for my future. Throughout the first half of my Junior year, I have pushed myself to achieve success unseen in my previous semesters. I discovered my love for certain subjects and found many new passions. However, I also found an immediate sense of regret, as the harsh realization that my previous faults would more than likely prevent me from attending many colleges. I realize I did it to myself, and that the blame is mine to bare, but I want to give myself as many possibilities as I can.

With that brief bit context out of the way, I have a few questions. Does my lack of a strong GPA and Class Rank disqualify me from moderately selective institutions? Is it possible to rectify this grade deficit in other parts of the application? How should I effectively maximize my time this final summer in order to show some form of growth? Will standardized test scores outweigh my GPA, or is the opposite true? Are college essays a way to rectify a lack of previous effort? I find myself constantly thinking about these questions and fail to find answers with confidence.

My time is limited, I realize that, but I want to push this last yard knowing that this final effort could make a huge difference. I appreciate any feedback or advice. Personally, I feel that insight from other students can be invaluable because of the shared experiences found among high school students and hope someone can help me find some answers. If additional information is needed to provide a stable answer to the questions above I am happy to provide it. If you’ve made it this far, thank you, I appreciate your time and hope you can offer me some desperately needed knowledge.