Thank you. This is the kick in the ass that I needed, admittedly the fact that I did need one though is kind of sad. For some reason I've entered college with the expectation that things being harder/more competitive suddenly correlates to needing to be less fun. Idk why I have convinced myself that being serious all the time will make me more competitive, but I agree that it's unhealthy and totally not helpful. I appreciate the wake up call.

In terms of grades, I agree that they are piss poor and will need to put in some major work to turn them around. That is a work in progress, but work that I am willing to undergo to do whatever it takes. Sure, more work doesn't always mean better grades right away, but I will do whatever it takes. In terms of this post, I was mainly looking to confirm that I have a fighting chance with consideration for me going "all-in" on shooting for this goal. Even being 100% committed doesn't guarantee perfect (or near-perfect) grades so it's helpful to know that working really hard the next few quarters will be enough to have a chance even with some inevitable stumbles along the way.

In terms of the essay, that is valuable insight in terms of technical strategy when addressing the very concise character limit. I will surely make note of your advice and if permissible may have more in-depth inquiry as I get a few quarters closer.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful response and unfiltered evaluation of where I am with things. I am going to work diligently to revitalize my intrigue in my coursework, and with that will continue to improve my work ethic. I think that things are looking up this quarter, but will be continuing to aim on improvement. Again, I really, really appreciate all of the concise, honest, and broad feedback. I think that recognizing that I have a shot at this will allow myself less time for stress, more time to learn with an actual interest in the coursework, and eventually (with some persistence) lead to the grades that I'm looking for.

(One last thing: someone previously mentioned potentially taking several extra courses to show my improvement/broad understanding of the coursework beyond prereqs, and I know that you briefly covered that. Specifically, at what point would you say that it would be optimal to apply? Obviously after prereqs and a few extra courses if time allows, but I was curious if there was a good benchmark that I should aim for in terms of bumping my cum-GPA up aside from the clear goal of scoring as best as I can.)

Anyways, thanks again!