Do Colleges like consisten straight A's or improvement?

Question

my 9th grade year stunk with a GPA of 3.2 and my 10th grade year got a little better with 3.6 GPA and weighted like 4.2 GPA

if i get all straight A's my 11th grade will it look massively good or just a little better?

i do Short Distance Track and Field and Martial Arts for extra curricular activities and if i get a 2000 SAT score will that be good on transcript? ive scored a 2100 on a practice SAT before and ive never really applied to myself so i always got low grades in High School cuz of some sort of personal problem...

Answer 1

Well most would choose a consistent student over an upward slope but improvement is nothing to scoff at. I have no doubt that improving your record will improve your chances.

Answer 2

DISCLAIMER: Sorry if this is WAY more than you were asking for, but your questions and worries about college admissions really brought back my own high school stresses, and I just wanted to answer your questions by sharing some things I wish I had known about college admission when I was your age.

While better grades generally give you better chances, it really depends on the school.

Every college has its own personality and its own "type." Some schools are looking for that straight-A wonderkid, but others are much more impressed by someone who is able to change their behavior and work habits and turn a rocky start into a success story.  Some put a lot of emphasis on SAT scores; some don't.  (However, your scores sound great, so don't stress yourself out over them. And in the end, no matter what, it's just a test, and most colleges realize that.  It only measures how well you were able to answer a specific set of questions on a specific Saturday morning -- it is not necessarily a accurate measure of your intelligence.  So be proud of your scores, but remember that you are more than your scores, no matter what they are.)

Two things colleges ARE looking for:

1) People who will thrive at that specific school. Some people need a small school, some need a large school, some need something in the middle.  Some people would do better at a school like NYU that doesn't have much of a campus but offers a vibrant city culture; some would do better at a school like Stanford, which is fairly enclosed with a campus-oriented culture.  Trust the admissions officers to know their schools better than you do.  If they don't think that their school would be the greatest fit for you, you probably don't want to go there.  Also, some admissions officers are looking for a certain personality -- some look for the bookworm, some look for the entrepreneur, some look for the survivor.  As a result, different schools might value different types of people and different extracurricular activities.  Have pride in who you are and what you do, and decide that you want to go to a school that values who you are.  I think it's great that you are so involved in sports!  I'm assuming you enjoy them, and that you enjoy being around others who are equally athletic.  If a school doesn't value that about you, that probably means there aren't too many athletes at that school --- as a result, you might not be too happy there.

2) Colleges ARE looking for a well-rounded student body.  This does NOT mean they want you to be well-rounded.  It just means that they want some engineering kids, some English majors, some band geeks, some athletes, some bookworms, some entrepreneurs.  You are a unique person -- use your application to show them that!  If there are five other runners and martial artists with 2000 SAT scores who apply to your dream school, what will set you apart form the crowd? THAT is what will get you in!

Basically, be yourself.  Do your best.  Get the best grades you can, do what you love, and be proud of what you do.  Find out who you are, and represent that as best as you can on your application.  That is what will get you into the right school for you -- not turning yourself into who you think colleges want you to be.  

And don't stress out. :)  Ultimately, the college admissions process is a bit of a crapshoot, and your teenage years are meant to be enjoyed.