cancer and applying to college

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I got sick and ended up missing all of 11th grade and the beginning of 12th (currently a senior). I couldn’t get that many extra-curriculars under my belt so my resume isn’t that strong. I’m wondering how this would impact my chances of getting into a school like NYU Stern or Carnegie-Mellon.

GPA:91
WGPA:95
SAT:1950

Took 6 APs (would’ve been 8 if I didn’t get sick) including 4 this year.

I have a good number of community service hours and I was involved in all my schools music events playing the bass clarinet (pit band, marching band, etc.) but that’s about it. On the positive side, I think i wrote a strong essay.

2

Ask your GC to explain the gap in ECs in their recommendation. If you feel comfortable, give them permission to say it was cancer. I only say this because a generic “health issue” might make them wonder if it was a mental illness issue, which could hurt your chances. If you don’t get in, it is more likely due to lowish SAT scores than the EC gap.