<p>When I was younger I was severely depressed. and it has been on and off. I think it is back. Lately I have found myself being bored,finding nothing fun and feeling like I am a failure. </p>
<p>In school I find myself tired and having trouble paying attention.I already know half the stuff because I actually learn on my own. My teachers and peers think I am brilliant, but my grades don't show it. I find myself forgetting homework and taking hours to write an easy essay or do a project. I find me sleeping a lot too.</p>
<p>I am thinking I have a combination of Depression and either ADD or ADHD?</p>
<p>Does that sound right?</p>
<p>Me and my parents scheduled an appointment to see a doctor to get help and maybe some medicine which I am a bit afraid of.</p>
<p>I can't diagnose you through cyberspace, but I'm very glad that you're seeing a doctor. Don't be afraid of medication. If you have some kind of chemical imbalance in your brain (as I did), the proper medicine may be just what you need. Good luck--help is on the way Glados!</p>
<p>Now I am starting look at colleges since I am a junior and only my GPA is holding me back.</p>
<p>I look at colleges for the right reason. The ones that have majors,academic programs,locations,research,size ...etc. I want. But I don't think they are possible even if I could turn it around. </p>
<p>I feel like college admission is going to punish me for my GPA, which is lower due to my problems...</p>
<p>My son's gpa was adversely affected by his LD, diagnosed in his sophomore year, and a medical condition which left him very down, but not medically diagnosed with depression. What he did was work his rear end off to have a stellar junior year, thereby demonstrating a huge upward trend. He also took three college classes: one each summer following soph and jr. year, and one at a CC during junior year. He made sure to get A's in these classes and was able to state in his essays that he was very successful at the college level. (Many colleges will figure college classes taken between junior and senior year into your gpa and that can raise your gpa for admissions purposes.) When he applied to colleges, he explained his LD and another medical problem he felt had impacted his grades during frosh/soph years. His essay addressed these things and he also provided a factual kind of timeline in other parts of the applications. He had great SAT's and was admitted into several schools that would have to have been considered a big reach. (His private college GC had told him he had no chance at several of the schools he applied to.) Your previous grades cannot be changed, but what you choose to do from this point forward is up to you and will carry a lot of weight with admissions. Good luck at the doctor. Medications can be life changing so I hope you will embrace the possibility that your life can be changed for the better by taking the right meds. Two other strategies to treat depression that have been shown in research to be effective, both alone and in conjunction with anti-depressants, are daily exercise and volunteering to help those less fortunate than yourself. For some reason, these two things help people be less depressed. Make sure when you apply, you tell admissions how your experience has helped you become a better person/candidate for admission and be able to give concrete examples of that. So, get your meds, take a walk, help out someone in need, and do your homework. That will leave you less time to be bored and think about your depression. It is hard to make your self do it, but if you can just get through each day, then soon enough you will look back and note how much you have accomplished. Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.</p>
<p>No, the ADA wouldn't prevent colleges from making inferences from your GPA. Colleges are looking for students who can do the work, and GPA is part of the evidence they consider.</p>
<p>Now, if you are able to make changes and improve your GPA, then you'll be able to make the argument that now you know better how to deal with whatever challenges you have. But the point is, the colleges need to hear not that you have problems, but that you have problems and you have dealt with them.</p>
<p>They can tell you are able to do the work when you have a record of doing the work. At some point in high school, hopefully this year, you will be healthy enough to get the grades to match your IQ and test scores. When you apply to college you will have about four semesters of your illness-impacted GPA and approximately three semesters of a GPA that you earned after having gotten help for your medical problems. If you can turn it around this year, you can get into many very good schools. Even if you don't start getting straight A's, there are good colleges out there for B students so don't worry about college yet. Take it day by day and do your best in high school. Your ability to overcome challenges will be a plus on your college applications if you can show you have learned how to cope with your illness and can be successful academically.</p>
<p>I really think depression is the underlying problem here. At least for me, when it started to affect my schoolwork (attendance and performance), that's when I knew things were starting to go downhill. I agree with those who have said to seek help. It really will improve, and, if you do so promptly, getting help (maybe even medicine) could really turn things around for you.</p>