Upward trend

[Finnagain]

Hey yall! I've been a long time lurker and finally got up the guts to ask a questions myself!

I was just wondering if anyone knew if it actually helps to have an upward trend in your GPA or if that is just a myth? My freshman and sophomore grades aren't by any means "bad" I just got a LOT of B's in my science classes (never anything lower though). I'm sitting at a 3.3 right now in my junior year but I'll probably end up with a 4.0 for this semester and would love to continue that trend next semester.

I hate to make excuses for why I didn't do as well in previous semesters... but there definitely are some factors I consider unfavorable... both years I dealt with sudden deaths of very very close people in my life and I constantly felt distracted. This is the first semester of college I feel like my head has been clear enough to actually focus and obviously my grades show that. Is it worth stating this on my application?? I don't want anyone to think I'm making excuses for my performance but I know for a fact if I had my current mental health back then by GPA would be significantly better.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

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[Mediumrare]

Death, while is absolutely valid reason for academic decline, is iffy to put in there. IMO, just take responsibility for your actions. Your not sitting too bad. Good luck

 

[LaughingGas]

Hi. Your GPA is not terrible and imo, if you keep that trend I don't see a problem landing few interviews despite of first few years. Although personally, I think it's a bad idea to write anything negative in your application. From gathering information here and talking to advisors, it's best to keep your application with only positive aspects. However, if adcoms ask you during your interview (which I really doubt, it's not like you got Cs , Ds, Fs then suddenly started to make As), you could provide them with a honest answer.

 

[lwen5]

Hey yall! I've been a long time lurker and finally got up the guts to ask a questions myself!

I was just wondering if anyone knew if it actually helps to have an upward trend in your GPA or if that is just a myth? My freshman and sophomore grades aren't by any means "bad" I just got a LOT of B's in my science classes (never anything lower though). I'm sitting at a 3.3 right now in my junior year but I'll probably end up with a 4.0 for this semester and would love to continue that trend next semester.

I hate to make excuses for why I didn't do as well in previous semesters... but there definitely are some factors I consider unfavorable... both years I dealt with sudden deaths of very very close people in my life and I constantly felt distracted. This is the first semester of college I feel like my head has been clear enough to actually focus and obviously my grades show that. Is it worth stating this on my application?? I don't want anyone to think I'm making excuses for my performance but I know for a fact if I had my current mental health back then by GPA would be significantly better.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

Just nail the DAT and you're fine.