4.0 GPA/2000+ SAT score but graduating HS late?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi all, I'm in a pretty unique situation and am trying to figure out how potential colleges will view it...</p>

<p>During my last 3.5 years of high I dealt with multiple different sicknesses/health obstacles. After missing 30-40 days of school during my sophomore year, I decided to leave public school and start attending an online school where I could work at my own pace. However, I was still constantly sick and it was near-impossible for me to complete work on time. After 2.5 years of being timed out of classes, dropping classes and signing up for them again, I'm set to graduate in December 2014, rather than my original graduation date of June 2014.</p>

<p>HOWEVER, throughout all of this I have maintained decent grades. I take all honors and AP classes and haven't received anything below an A since freshman year. My current SAT score is ~2020 but I'm going to take the test once more and aim for a 2100. </p>

<p>So, what do you think colleges will think of this? Will it hurt my chances of being admitted? I'm applying to some pretty tough schools. Also, do you think I'll need to explain what took me so long to graduate in my application? It's an uncomfortable topic for me and I'd prefer not to talk about it if possible. Thanks to anyone who answers!</p>

<p>tl;dr - Needed to take 6 extra mos to finish school bc of illnesses but I still have all honors/AP classes, 4.0 gpa, and ~2100 SAT score. What will colleges think of this?/does it hurt my chances?/do i have to explain the situation in my apps?</p>

2

<p>IMHO (and this is from some personal experience being sick as much as you were sophomore year every year of HS) plus experience teaching college):</p>

<p>You want them to ignore how long it took you to graduate, with all As since freshman year, but you don’t want to tell them why.</p>

<p>The thing is, with a disability/medical issue, you either hide it or you tell it. If you want to hide it, say in the circumstances section:
“I missed 6 months of high school due to personal reasons, and am graduating in December 2014 because of it.”</p>

<p>If you don’t want to hide it completely, say:
“I missed 6 months of high school due to medical reasons, and am graduating in December 2014 because of it.”</p>

<p>However, it sounds more like this:
“I was unable to maintain a full courseload between 2012 and 2014 due to poor health, and will manage to graduate only six months late.”</p>

<p>(or put “personal reasons” or “family reasons” instead of “poor health” if you want to hide it)</p>

<p>What I think is that you need a guidance counselor to look at your transcripts, and figure out what would be the most logical thing to do. You also must consider how you can complete your degree at a “pretty tough school” if you couldn’t maintain a full courseload in high school, and had to work online. Taking a course and dropping out means that you did some of the work, and had to redo work you did before. Would top schools allow that? Could you get by with a minimum courseload at a “pretty tough school” and graduate on time? Would your parents mind if it took you five or six years to graduate?</p>

<p>There are only so many reasonable accommodations that a school can provide. We have a student who has been getting a PhD for seven years, and eight years is the limit. He keeps asking for special treatment far beyond any accommodations we have ever offered a student. He wants classes where he is the only student (ten students is the minimum). He wants to not go to campus more than twice per semester, and very few of our classes are online. He wanted to get more than two semesters of medical leave, which is not allowed. Sadly, we are waiting for him to time out of the program. It was just not the right fit for him. </p>

<p>Have you considered 100% online degrees? Check this out: <a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/bachelors/rankings”>http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/bachelors/rankings&lt;/a&gt; Pace and Embry-Riddle jump out as pretty good schools.</p>

3

<p>@rhandco‌ Thanks for the response! I agree that a guidance counselor would be helpful but since my school is online, I don’t really have one. </p>

<p>I’m at a point where my health is almost completely controlled and I really think I can handle college. I haaaaaaated online high school and would go crazy if I had to do it again for college. </p>

4

<p>This may be one of those cases where you may not have a guidance counselor, but hiring one could be a good investment. There may even be ones who specialize in kids with medical issues and know exactly how to present you to colleges. Someone else may have to chime in with possibilities in that area, but despite what you think, your case is hardly unique. I’d be surprised if there isn’t someone out there who can’t help you and does so regularly for kids in exactly your situation.</p>

5

<p>@MrMom62‌ A guidance counselor definitely sounds like a good investment, thanks for the tip. I was previously considering a career counselor or something like that because I didn’t realize that you can hire independent college counselors.</p>

<p>Anyone have any experience with this?</p>

6

<p>ahhh, bump! anyone? :frowning: </p>