<p>I'm in a rather unusual situation in terms of applying to college next year. If anybody--admissions officers especially--can give me any insight or information, I would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>I was diagnosed with a chronic illness about seven years ago. I was very ill for a while and began high school on a part-time schedule. I am now much better (85-90% health), but I am taking five years to finish high school because of my health and not having taken enough classes. I have a 405 plan at my school which allows me some accommodations in terms of turning in assignments if I have been sick or absent.</p>
<p>I am in all honors and AP classes. I have a 4.36 GPA and I'm 5/250 students. I have a 2150 SAT score and am hoping to improve it when I take it again. I work very hard and to the best of my ability. I'm a junior this year, although it is my fourth year at my high school. Some of my academics are a little unusual--for instance, I had to start in Spanish 1 because I was too ill in middle school to start a language, so I'm at a lower level (I'll be in Spanish 4 as a senior). On the other hand, I'm taking 5 years of English (including 2 APs).</p>
<p>I am unable to play in sports and I have been involved in fewer activities. This year and last year however, I have volunteered about 120 hours and I'm now a member of 5 clubs at my school (with several leadership positions). I also work about 3 hours a week, which should be up to 6 soon. Will an admissions committee look down on the fact that I don't have as many activities as many other students do (considering that I was unable to participate because of medical reasons)?</p>
<p>Will colleges consider my illness a positive, negative, or neutral thing? Will I be at a disadvantage to someone with similar academics who has been involved in more activities, or will colleges see that I have overcome a lot and have always put in my best effort, even if I wasn't able to do as much?In my applications, I will enclose information documenting my illness. In my essay, I'm planning to write about how my illness has made me a stronger, more moral, and more mature person. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone who has been through the admissions process with an illness or disability have any recommendations or things I should know about as I'm applying?</p>
<p>i think colleges will be understanding of your situation (after all its not your fault). I think they will see how this affected your academic and EC activities. If you want to you can use it for you advantage (please do, it would make for an awesome essay), because clearly very few people are in your position.</p>
<p>Make sure your GC writes about how well you are dealing with/have dealt with your illness. Have him/her say that you did as much as you could under the circumstances. That's also a great essay topic. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks sdchargers and brieb08! Does anyone else have any suggestions or impressions?</p>
<p>I really think it won't benefit or hurt you, which is the way it should be.</p>
<p>Best of luck, I'm positive you'll get the results you deserve.</p>
<p>What type of disease is it, and are you sure you'd be ready to go to college full time? I think those things are a lot more important towards your admission decision and planning for the future than your "fifth year senior" status.</p>
<p>Fred--
I'd prefer not to say specifically, suffice to say that the main symptom of the disease (at this point) is having slightly less energy. My energy levels have been improving steadily for several years now--by the time I go off to college, I may even have more energy than I have now. I do have to take a rest break for a couple of hours a day and cannot participate in extreme physical activites (I do walk and swim, but I can't do track or swim laps). Otherwise, I'm a fairly normal kid. I'm in school for 5 academic classes, participate in activities, hang out with friends, etc. I feel that I'm prepared to handle college. I may have to be more careful than other college students are, but I think I'm more mature than many of my classmates are and I know my limits. I'm also not going to get involved in any partying/drinking/etc, so I'll be looking out for my health in that aspect too.</p>
<p>I do agree that my current health is the bigger issue. It's just that I'm unsure how colleges will view my status. I feel that my illness should not put me at a disadvantage or an advantage, but colleges should look objectively at the fact that I was sick when I started high school and was doing as much as I could. Now that I'm better, I feel that I could contribute a lot to any college because of the maturity and unique perspective that I've gained from dealing with a chronic illness.</p>
<p>If you will need ongoing medical support in college, you will need to make sure that it is available near the school. After you assure yourself that your medical needs can be met living at the school, include a sentence or two in your essay that makes it clear you have investigated the issue and it is resolved. You also want to demonstrate (and I agree with the poster above that the GC should write about this, too) that you are capable of handling a full college course load, or what the likely modifications might be (elevator access to dorm, ground floor dorm, single room so you can nap, etc.).
You sound very capable and organized...in my opinion, that is exactly the right tone for your essay, too. The reader should feel impressed by your perserverence.</p>
<p>i also have a chronic illness: ankylosing spondilitis
Search it up for those who don't know. I am currently a highschool sophmore.
Although this chronic disease is rare, as long as I exercise and keep a good balance of nutritions, my health will stay 100%.</p>
<p>It has not affected my academic performance except my freshman year when I did not know about this.( also the only time it was active)
However, I am going to include this chronic illness in my transcript. I can see that you are in a much worse situation than I am in, and my advise it to write about your illness. Write about how it affected you, how you are dealing with it and what you are learning from it.
Submit it to your local newspaper, or newsweek My Turn, etc. or any other writing organization that you know.
If this illness have affected your academic performance and your life in general greatly, it will not be a bad idea to write your college essay about it.
As for me, I have written an essay about this chronic disease and submitted it to newsweek. I don't know yet if it has been chosen, but if it hasn't, I still am planning to submit it to the local newspaper.
On a different note, my illness requires an IV shot every 2 months for another year or so, which means that luckily, by the time I go to college, it wouldn't affect my career as a student as much. If your chronic illness requires constant maintenance in a hospital like siliconcalleymom said, make sure that medical service is available near school.</p>
<p>Hope this helped the slightest bit.
Mike-</p>
<p>I have a chronic pain condition: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). It did affect me in school,my grades were lower than they could have been. I was diagnosed at the end of my freshman year, my grades did go down somewhat. I know my GC wrote about this in one of my recomendation letters and one of my teachers wrote about me succeeding and overcoming this condition. In one of my essays, I wrote about how this changed my life and how I overcame obstacles. Thankfully, my pain is under control now and I will be going to college in the fall.</p>
<p>Sorry this was so long.</p>
<p>I have a chronic disease(s), too, neuromuscular (PM me for more info) and was initially dx'ed with RSD. I have also been through a significant emotional battle (uphill, but won) which was one of the factors that influenced me to attend an alternative school.
I applied to top tier schools with an unusual transcript and an unusual story. I would say that at most schools, a good story will help you but it will not be a hook. Be careful not to perceive of yourself as too disabled (to attend X College) in your essays; you don't want to make the adcoms question whether you're up for the challenge their school provides. At the same time, be honest about yourself; that way, if you need accommodations down the line, they will be more easily attained, and of course, honesty is always the best policy. My advice to all applying to college is to be who you are and never to purport to be what you're not; if a college doesn't want you for who you are, they aren't worth your time (even if the name is Harvard). You are more than your disability; it doesn't define you, but it can certainly add another dimension to your character (and application). PM for more info/advice if you're interested.</p>
<p>yeah i was wondering too. i am a first semester student. I have a genetic heart condition- Prolonged QT Syndrome. It’s a disorder with the electrical part of the heart and causes arrhythmia’s. I have an ICD now, its like a defliberator but on my heart so when it decides to be stupid, itll shock me and ill be alright.
I have to go for drs appts a lot and some days i physically cant do anything. I like sometimes have chest pains and i get lightheaded easily.
I know this is a valid excuse in high school but in college i doubt it is. I try not to use it even though I really want to explain it to them that sometimes I cant do certain things or whatever.
I am a full time student, and I have to be because of my major (nursing). I have to be a full time student and I really want to stay in the major because obviously i want to become a nurse haha.
I am part of a program at my school which is like accommodations, sort of like an IEP in high school for whomever knows what im talking about.
But yeah, any advice would be good in general about this thread is great. I am glad I found it.</p>