Hey everybody! I don’t know if anyone will ever see this, but it’s worth a shot I suppose.
So freshman year I had a really bad eating disorder, where I was hospitalized for a few weeks, and upon my return to school, I still missed a ton of school due to appointments, therapy, etc.
Hence, my grades weren’t the greatest (an avg. of 89, many A-, and Bs) However, this ultimately screwed my ranking in the long run. I am not in the top 10 percent, but rather, 15. Sophomore year I had straight As, but I also just got my first B since in my junior year in Anatomy and Physiology. I am afraid that this can destroy my application.
As of right now, my GPA is a 93, but with online schooling and COVID-19, our school is going pass/fail. Thus, there is really nothing I can do to raise my GPA/ and class rank. I have worked really hard to get anatomy up, but frankly, I don’t think that it will matter now. My SAT’s are also fine, with a 1560.
I am worried, will this completely ruin all chances of getting into my top two choices? (Yale + Columbia). Since my eating disorder, I’ve joined with a task force advocating for healthy bodies, body positivity, etc, and doing a lot with our community regarding the matter. (I have done a lot of other things too but that’s not the point of this thread).
I am just concerned about my GPA and overall transcript and am concerned that it will ruin all potential chances.
I understand your thinking given your obvious ability. I think you may not get into those particular schools, although I would certainly put in your applications and try. I do think you will get into various great schools with your stats. I think if you broaden the range of schools you are looking at, you will be happy with your outcomes. Yale and Columbia are reaches for everyone or not sure things for anyone. Nearly all who apply are qualified and admittance is more like a lottery than something based on who is most qualified. Look for more schools that have what you want in a school. NESCAC schools - I think you would get into a lot of them and they are great in my opinion. Honors programs at state schools, other national universities. You are a strong applicant. I do think next year may have harder admissions stats overall as people accepted this year defer so expanding your targets to include other schools with higher acceptance rates might be more important than usual years. There are so many amazing schools out there. Best wishes!
@jym626
See, Yale has been my absolute dream school for years. Like I mean when I was ten years old. My mom consistently travels to New Haven for doctor’s appointments, and I’ve gotten to meet many of them too. Thus, there is one that I would absolutely love to shadow (as I wish to pursue a pre-med track majoring in poli sci.) Additionally, the architecture is just amazing!!
In terms of Columbia, I love the core curriculum so much! I also love the idea of being in NYC, but also, its connections with different art museums. I have an online journal where I like to write a lot about the bigotry and idiocracies within society, and these connections I think would give me a greater perspective. They also have an amazing campus newspaper that I’d love to be apart of. (I cannot join the one at my school because my ideas are too controversial ha!)
But overall, the cost is a big factor. I love NYU but there is no way that we can afford it. My step-mom and dad separated, and my biological mother is not in the picture anyway, so it’s solely my dad’s income. Thus, with the big endowments, it would make it slightly more affordable given financial aid.
@suteiki77 Thank you so much!! There are other schools that I certainly like, and I understand with the Ivy’s it’s all pretty much a crapshoot. But I am just afraid that my rank isn’t within the ten percent, (which is commonly boasted) and that my GPA is lower than ideal. These are just my two dream schools lol.
I do have to admit, that people from my school do not get into Ivy’s. I think the majority of this is that people in my class specifically, are super competitive and have amazing grades, however, they do not do anything if that makes sense. They tend to stay home, sleep, and do schoolwork- but nothing else.
I would say to apply to these top schools if they’re your dream, but since we all know how college admissions at top schools is often a crapshoot, keep your options open. Try to do some research on other schools to get excited about other options! Also, on many college applications, there’s an option where you can explain if you’ve had extenuating circumstances. I would take advantage of this section to explain why your grades were lower. I also love how you now are involved in lots of community work because of your experience. I’d definitely include that somewhere in your application. Try not to worry too much about your grades, as it’s out of your control now. Just focus on doing the best you can on your applications, and everything will work out. Wasting time and energy stressing out about something out of your control will only give you unnecessary anxiety. I promise that everything will work out in the end!
@melon24
Thank you so much! My guidance counselor emphasized that she would write my counselor of recommendation and highlight my struggles, and how I have learned from these experiences to help others.
I understand that I have a low chance of getting in, and yes, there are other colleges I have in mind, but these two are my dream schools. I am just trying to look at it with a positive outlook- if it’s meant to be it is, and if not, well it isn’t.
I just wanted to know if my grades were a complete deterrent.
I think of the top ranked schools as stressful. For undergrad (=young) I was not ready for this and it was tough. For graduate school (=more mature) I was ready for this and wanted to do it.
It is not obvious to me that Yale and Columbia are the best fits for someone who has suffered from a disorder for which stress is a factor. There are of course a lot of health issues that can be made worse by stress.
There are a lot of very good universities where you can get a great education. At least in my experience students at top graduate programs come from a very wide assortment of undergraduate schools, and the best coworkers come from a wide assortment of schools regardless of whether they come with a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
I think that you will get accepted to very good universities. It is not clear to me that you will be accepted to Yale or Columbia, nor that you should want to.
I just want to warn you that even though you consider your bio mother not in the picture, the CSS (required for financial aid at many private schools) does not write off bio parents so easily. You may be required to prove that your mother cannot have contact with you (legally) or has another reason not to be considered (jail, no contact for many years, unable to locate). It’s usually not an easy process.
@twoinanddone Oh, that portion really isn’t an issue. Since there has not been any contact, she has forfeited all rights over legal ownership of me. It’s a really messy situation to be quite honest, so I won’t get into all the details, but she is in fact wanted by the police in my state, and she also owes my dad over $100,000.
I thank you so much for your input though!
Have you thought about an ED app to Barnard? (If you’re female, which your screen name suggests you probably are?) That would be less of a super-reach but still give you all of the art/museums/ journalism/etc. that you love at Columbia. You strike me as someone whose strengths Barnard would appreciate, especially in the ED cycle.
@aquapt Yes, I am a female!! But I never fully considered an all-girls school (all I can think of is the drama) but I will def look more into Barnard- so thank you!
Wherever you apply, you may want to be careful how/whether you disclose your mental health struggles. You want to be honest about your interests and passions but not put off any red flags to lawsuit- and publicity-shy adcoms.
Have you considered match/safety schools yet? What state are you in?
@RelicAndType
I know that is part of what makes everything so difficult! It was a really bad situation, and frankly, my experiences are what started getting me into writing. I wrote a few poems about my experiences, and they got published into books- but I also don’t want to look like a mental health case. (I am fine now, recovered, all the sort).
I am actually from RI, and I do have a few match and safety schools. (And a few other reaches- I loved Wesleyan lol).
Safeties include UVM, URI, Emmanuel
Where matches include: George Washington, Uconn, and Colgate.
I also loved the University of Seattle Washington, Emory, and UMich, but they are quite far, and being an only child my parents do not want me traveling so far.
@RelicAndType I know that’s a big factor, especially with UVM. I’m also not a fan of how distant the professors seemed at UConn. Lol perhaps I’m too picky- the college search is an ongoing process.
Another possible New England reach with good financial aid reach be Tufts, and their partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts. Conn College would be a match and has a Museum Studies certificate program that’s open to students in any major. Also, SUNY Purchase could be a relatively affordable OOS public option - it’s fairly small (around 4000 undergrads), has top-notch BFA programs in a variety of visual and performing arts as well as liberal arts BA programs and a Museum Studies minor that is well-connected with the NYC art scene. (Purchase would be a safety for its academic majors, but admission to the BFA programs can be very competitive.) All of these schools have women’s/gender/sexuality studies majors if that appeals.
Re: women’s colleges, one of my daughters went to a mixed-gender T20 school with coed residential colleges, and the other to a women’s LAC within a consortium… and I would say the drama quotient was pretty much the same, lol, just slightly different in flavor. In some ways, a women’s college where you still have many classes and EC’s with men can be a best-of-both-worlds scenario. YMMV for sure, but at least worth a look! Barnard enrolls almost half its class Early Decision, with an acceptance rate of almost 30% in the ED cycle, vs. less than 12% in the RD cycle.
Make sure to run Net Price Calculators for the different schools you look at, to see how their financial aid formula would work with your specific financial info. You may be able to rule some schools in or out based on what you find.