Hi CC, I’m finishing up my Junior Year with a 3.8 UW GPA and 4.1+ Weighted GPA. I have done my best to engage in unique ECs and take the most challenging courses possible, but have a problem with my attendance. Unfortunately, I have suffered from multiple serious chronic medical conditions since birth, and this has resulted in me missing many days of school my Freshman and Sophomore years. My school does put attendance on transcripts - so how would this affect my chances of getting into a high-level university?
It shouldn’t matter, especially if your guidance counselor discusses the medical conditions in his/her letter.
I agree you can ask your guidance counsleor to mention it in his/her recommendation or you can write a very short blurb in the additional comments section (you can also mention any new treatment that have helped you stay healthier in the last year if appropriate) if you feel it should be addressed. I don’t think it would be an issue and I’m glad you are doing better now.
As a general rule of thumb, make sure you present your position clearly to colleges. As long as you do that, everything should be fine.
No issue. Grades trump everything. If you can get your grades despite your attendance issues the colleges won’t care.
OP has asked about Cornell and JHU. So it’s not just for the GC to explain the absences were medical, but also how he/she triumphed over the hs years, despite. And there seem to be some good ECs. It won’t be just about stats. Best wishes.
But on another thread, OP is a rising junior. So is some of this speculation?
Medical issues are a tough thing to put in your college app. Some places WILL hold it against you - colleges do not want you to be hundreds of miles from your medical support if your condition sounds serious to them. Nor do they want a kid who is not healthy enough to finish four years and graduate. If you have a mental illness, you probably don’t need me to tell you there can be stigmas associated with that.
You want to talk to the disability services office NOT admissions at the colleges you are considering, to see what kind of support is available if your condition prevents you from attending classes in college. The disability office will keep it confidential from admissions so it will not affect your chances of acceptance.
Once you have identified that a school will be able to support a student with your condition, you will want advice from someone who is knowledgeable about your personal situation and about the realities of college admissions to advise you about how much to disclose on your application.
Do not post your medical history on an internet forum. Seek personal, knowledgeable advice.
@AroundHere My daughter noted her chronic medical condition as part of her essay and got into every school she applied to (including reach schools). She also noted in in a grad school essay and got into that program. It was not an issue at all for her.
@happy1 I really think this depends on the specifics of the particular condition and on how the student has functioned despite whatever the condition is. To pick a couple extremely different examples, being gluten-intolerant is very different from being schizophrenic.
I hope that my answer sounds like “proceed cautiously” and “apply to schools that can support you as needed” rather than “never disclose under any circumstances.”
In OP’s case, he or she missed “many days” over two years.
Just having a condition, which explains absences, isn’t as potent as showing you can manage…and continue to.
I think the main thing is: Is your school cool with your attendance? Did you do well in your classes? Did you do well on the SAT/ACT?
The next thing is: Have you addressed your medical issue?
When you go to college, you cannot really skip classes as making up everything is on you and some classes have required attendance. When visiting colleges, talk to the disability offices and see what accommodations they have for you if needed.
If you have addressed it and have it under control, they will see your attendance be good Junior and Senior years.
If you still miss much school, then you have to decide if:
- Now is the time for college
- Can you do part time at your CC while living at home
- Go to a nearby 4 year college so you have family support and pick your classes so that you are not overwhelmed and they can accommodate your health issue and use accommodations. So if you get tired easily, don’t choose all M-W-F classes…spread them out more. If you have trouble getting up in the morning, schedule later classes. If you have many doctor appts, then schedule them between classes. If you need extra time on tests, go to the disability office and ask for accommodations.
Talk to your GC about what they would disclose. I would think that them disclosing you had medical issues but now have them under control would be good information to a college. If you are still missing multiple days a year it might not be the time for you to go to college since it would be difficult to be successful.
Apologies - I had meant to say Sophomore instead of Junior there. Thank you for your advice though!
Yes, it is included on the final transcript. When I return to school this fall I’m going to see what I can do.
agree with @MurphyBrown - - are you sure it isn’t the report card you are looking at? I find it very odd that attendance is on the transcript. If it is, I would certainly work to get that removed for all kind of reasons mentioned - the school should see the obvious issues it could cause to you and them. That’s a whole lot of privacy they are disclosing it seems…
I don’t know if attendance would be included on the OP’s transcript but attendance IS part of the student’s record. It’s how school funding is applied and may indicate whether a student has completed a minimum number of days of schooling. Just showing # of days absent is not a “whole lot of privacy”