this is a reply to @me29034 as well.
The reason why my GPA is low mainly has to do with Depression and suicidal thoughts from Middle School (From problems including constant bullying) and it took me a long time to recover from it, unfortunately. Why I didn’t reach out for help is personal and won’t be shared here.
Most of my low grades were from my Freshman Year and the first semester of my Sophomore Year, where I got a few As. Majority Bs with one D.
My ECs were not misplaced priorities, I acquired them during the 2nd semester of my Sophomore year, the same time that I recovered from my depression and found my passion (Tech and Design, if that’s not obvious) and a reason to live. Since then I’ve been getting high scores in every class.
Unless the reasons I listed are something that colleges won’t care about and won’t take into account, I’ll yield to your advice and either apply (imo I’d rather gamble and lose than not gamble and regret it later), go to a state school (unlikely, since that would defeat the point of what I’m looking for from a college, with some exceptions) or just not got to college altogether,
Since I am going to college for the resources they offer and if there aren’t any, or I can find the same resources elsewhere, then I don’t see the point of bursting a blood vessel over it.
I hope my ECs will tell colleges that I am deeply invested in my goals and that attending their college will bring me closer to those goals.