(compensating for) Mediocre Grades During COVIDAnswered
TLDR; looking for things to shiny-up application so admissions officers will overlook my bad freshman grades. Background, grades, ECs below.
Hello! I'm currently 16 and a high school junior and as I'm getting more serious about getting into prestigious colleges, my grade history begins to weigh my application down. Junior year alone, I have a 5.0 weighted (4.0 uw), Sophomore year I had a 4.6 weighted (4.0 uw), but Freshman year was my COVID/virtual school year so I got a 3.7 weighted - around a 3.3 unweighted. Excluding 9th grade and based on predicted senior grades, I would end high school with a weighted GPA of about a 4.8/9 and an uw GPA of 4.0 - which, not to brag, but are very very good stats.
Unfortunately, my freshman-year stats were not good (and I can't just ignore them ugh)! They were not bad either, but I'm trying to get into decently selective schools (URichmond, UVA, William and Mary), as well as getting scholarships, so this one bad mark really dampens my application. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I'm bipolar/have 3 anxiety disorders/have ADHD so I really really struggled learning virtually - not only was I unable to focus/do work, but I was entirely unmedicated and basically struggling to keep myself alive. Basically, school was the last of my priorities, and I didn't even expect to go to college. Unfortunately, mental health struggles and struggling in virtual school are incredibly common phenomenons, and I can't just say "oh give me a pass I'm literally insane" and they'll forget all about freshman year (can I though??? please). SO I am looking for things I can do to really brighten up my application and show that it was just a mishap and that I am a very good, smart, reliable choice for a student.
(Notable) Extracurriculars:
- Work as an EMT (people who ride in ambulances)
- Student liaison and sales exec for my school's (popular) garden club (community service)
- Raised 20k in two months for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
- On a robotics team that went to World's (competition)
- 7 honors societies
- Violin for 13 years and orchestra for 10, as well as sometimes concertmaster and 4 district orchestras
- Work at Baskin Robbins
- Wrote and self-published a book
- 6 classes in a competitive, one-of-a-kind, governor-funded college program (technically not an EC but wtv)
- 100+ hours of community service
- Recreational softball
- Art published locally, 1000+ hours of art, and evidence to put in a portfolio lol
- Working on publishing neuroscience/psychological research
And also my SAT is bad LOL it's like 1360 because I missed all the stupid math that's on it bc I would've learned it FRESHMAN YEAR so really the world is out to get me. But my English score is 740 and I intend to get the math similarly, so banking on a prospective score of 1450+. I'm bad at standardized tests, please suggest something other than a perfect SAT score </3
Sorry this was so long! Again TLDR: please I just need to know how I can make my application so awesome they forget about freshman year. I'm currently taking the hardest classes possible but idk if that's enough. Any advice at all welcome!!!! Even if I can get in, I kinda really need a scholarship to afford my top choice :(
Thank you, unprofessional advice is usually super helpful! I really appreciate the kind words and that's good reassurance that I'm over worrying. Also yes I've been working super hard to make my essay stand out, trying to focus more on introspective, metaphorical, creative-style writing to really make people look twice hehe. Well yeah thank you!!
This isn't advice, but I wanted to agree with @annap_cv. Your ECs are, like, crazy impressive. The fact that you're an EMT, raised 20k for a charity, and self-published a book and you're a junior in high school is seriously amazing. I know that GPA and test scores are important to your college applications, but your ECs show more about who you are as a person.
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2 answers
Hey!
First things first, colleges want to see growth which is what you have shown. Second of all, could you say what your W and UW GPA will be including freshman year? That’s important to know to see how negatively it impacts your college admissions.
Your extracurriculars are amazing and I think colleges will love to see such a well rounded student and I’m frankly a little shocked at how much you were able to do.
If you could get back to me about what grades/your W and UW GPA would be including freshman year, that’d be very helpful to determine how negatively it impacts you. Also how rigorous are your classes? Any APs, IBs, or honors courses?
Hope this helps and let me know!
I'd say that you have nothing to worry about! While your GPA freshman year was lower than ideal, it was by no means low enough to be a red flag - a 3.3 UWGPA is enough to get into many decent state schools. You also had a variety of extenuating circumstances that led to your GPA drop, and you can explain them in the Additional Information and COVID sections of the Common App.
What will compensate for your GPA drop more than anything else is the upward trend in your grades ever since. If your predicted senior year grades come to fruition, those top-notch stats will overshadow your freshman year grades and make them look like an anomaly. Your impressive ECs will help you as well, and so will a high SAT score.
Hope this helps!
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Totally unprofessional advice here, but here goes! As a junior who did fine in freshman year and has similar academic stats to you afterwards: holy sheesh dude. Your ECs outclass like everyone I know who's in the top 1% academically at my school and confidently applying to Ivies. Look to @Irishfan for their comment on growth being most important. You legitimately could write the most beautiful beautiful essay ever about your experience to even weaponize your situation. Dude. Props.