Hi, I'm an upcoming senior and here are some background information about me:
- low income
- low stat (3.1 UW, 3.7 W GPA)
- 2 ECs (Volunteering at a local place for 50+ hours, track/field from Junior to Senior year)
- taking care of a dog at home
- attends a small, public highschool (doesn't receive a lot of funding)
I am currently applying to in-state schools so 4 UCs and 3 Cal State schools.
UCs:
UCSD
UCD
UCB
UCLA
Cal States:
CSU Fullerton
SDSU
CSULB
Is it possible for my GPA to increase before submitting college applications? Advice is appreciated, thank you.
To answer your question, a GPA is something that is a long-term process, meaning it is an average of all the semesters of high school you have completed. Realistically speaking, it is hard to change your GPA exponentially in just one semester. My advice is that since you can't drastically change your GPA, I recommend owning it. Remember that GPA is just a number, and there are many other holistic factors that colleges want to know about. I am not saying that GPA is unimportant, but since it's your last semester, focus on creating compelling essays and showing colleges the best of you. Just a reminder that colleges are not looking for perfect GPAs; they want to see improvement. Put in your best effort in the last semester of high school. If you challenged yourself in your coursework, that is also an important factor. Some last-minute activities you can do are try to get online certifications for your areas of interest; there are many week-long online courses available out there for free. Most importantly, advocate for yourself! Show colleges why you want to attend their college. Don't give generic answers; do your research, and make sure to be specific about the professors you want to learn from. This can be overwhelming, but be confident; you've got this!
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