For some students, a report card is an accurate reflection of their abilities, aspirations, and future work habits. Many of my friends have flawless, or nearly flawless, report cards. Top grades and a weighted GPA well above 4.0 grace each of their progress reports, and I am confident that they will continue this streak of academic excellence well into the future. For others, Cs, Ds, and failing grades are a normal occurrence, and just like the students with As, I have no doubt that they will continue down this path. But for some students, like me, a report card is not an accurate picture of academic ability. I'm not afraid to admit, to friends, family, or the schools I plan to enroll in, that my grades aren't good. I haven't had a GPA close to 4.0 in at least 3 years, and sometimes that fact makes me proud. Although I usually get Bs or Cs in my classes, there are some bright spots on my academic record. I'm in the 98th percentile on the SAT and the 99th on the ACT. I got a 5 on the AP Computer Science test, and despite a C in the Physics class, I got a 4 on the final exam. On top of that, in my two years on the El Camino Real High School Academic Decathlon team I was the highest scoring C student in the entire Los Angeles Unified School District twice in a row, placing third in the state of California , and looks ahead to a promising season this year. Some say I'm lazy and others say I have untapped potential, but I believe the most accurate description of the apparent discrepancies between my academic record and my academic achievements is that I love doing the things I love to do and I hate doing the things I do. I hate doing. When I discovered computer programming in eighth grade by taking an AP Computer S...... middle of paper ...... f of hard work. I cared about this program, just as I cared about math, computer science, and a myriad of other subject areas, and so I excelled. I have bad grades, but I have many successes. I have bad grades, but I'm no stranger to hard work. I have bad grades, yet I'm applying to one of the most prestigious learning institutions in the country, well aware of the difficult four years ahead of me. I have sometimes wondered whether my teachers graded and graded the wrong things about me, as the image of myself as a person and as an academic is not the image my report cards seem to portray. I'm more than my C's, I'm more than my B's and in some cases an A isn't enough to express my interest and drive to succeed. Given the opportunity to study at an institution like Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, I am confident that I have the potential to go far. !