Chances for aspiring engineer with long-term illness

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Here's the deal:
I'm an Asian junior male from an extremely competitive school in Maryland. As one of the top students in my class, I had a bright future ahead of me... until the previous summer. After my sophomore year ended, I started having constant migraine headaches and debilitating dizziness, which has not improved in the four months since then. I have been to several neurologists, but they could not accurately diagnose the illness, so I'm being transferred to the neuro-otology department at Johns Hopkins. Meanwhile, my illness has severely impaired my abilities; for example, I now have trouble reading, cannot watch television or movies, cannot play sports, and I am extremely uncomfortable riding in the car. It has also caused me to develop depression and panic disorder, which are currently being treated using depression medication.</p>

<p>Long story short: my life is pure hell.
Obviously, my illness has greatly affected my academics, but my question is: How much will colleges care about my medical condition, and can it potentially give me an advantage in admissions?</p>

<p>Here are some of my stats:</p>

<p>Asian male, junior
GPA: 3.85 Unweighted, 4.6 Weighted
Rank: school does not rank
SAT Math Level 2: 800
SAT I: I'm unable to take it until my illness is treated...
ACT: [ditto]</p>

<p>Freshman year:
Honors Algebra 2 - A/A
Honors English 9 - A/A
Honors Chemistry - A/A
Honors US History - B/A
Computer Programming 1 - A/A
Honors Spanish 3 - B/A
Physical Education - A/A</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
Honors Pre-calculus - A/A
Honors English 10 - A/A
Honors Biology - A/A
Honors Physics - A/A
AP US Government - A/A
AP Computer Programming 2 - A/A
Engineering Science - A/A
Health Education - A</p>

<p>Junior year (Quarter 1):
AP BC Calculus - A
Honors English 11 - A
AP Physics C - A
AP Computer Programming 3 - A
Photography 1 - A</p>

<p>I'm currently on an abbreviated school schedule because of my illness. The only reason that I somehow managed to get straight As this quarter is because the school is providing accomodations for me. Still, considering that I was doubtful whether I could even attend school or not, it is quite a miracle. However, they are borderline As (90-92), and I'm expecting my GPA to drop soon as the topics become too difficult for my handicapped mind to handle.</p>

<p>Assuming that I will recover by senior year, I'm going to take many difficult courses to make up for this year (Multivariable Calculus, Differential Equations, a load of AP classes, maybe a community college engineering course).</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Math Team (10)
Robotics Club (10)
Badminton (9, 10)
Tutoring program for immigrant students (9, 10)
Teacher aid for Lutheran church class (9, 10)
National Honor Society (11) - Executive Committee Member
DDR Club (11) - Founder & President
Engineering Club (11) - Founder & President
Programming Team (11)
(I had to quit a lot of extracurriculars after 10th grade due to my illness.)</p>

<p>I keep in touch with my previous teachers and my counselor and they will undoubtedly support me with stellar recommendations. Also, my teachers and friends regularly praise my writing skills as amazing, so I'm assuming that I will have great college app essays that will throughly explain my ordeal.</p>

<p>Here are some schools that I am interested in:
Columbia
Olin
Johns Hopkins
Caltech
Harvey Mudd
Carnegie Mellon
Cornell
Cooper Union
Maryland - College Park
Maryland - Baltimore County</p>

<p>I am interested in studying engineering, physics, or computer science, maybe a minor in Chinese or philosophy if possible.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>(And as a side note: even though my life sucks, I'm trying to remain as optimistic as possible, and I'm certain that I will get through this nightmare.)</p>

2

<p>man i can only wish you the best of luck with ur illness and stuff. it's really motivating to see you so optimistic despite such problems.</p>

<p>i have no doubt that regardless of your medical problems, you're gonna go far in life with that drive to accel.</p>

3

<p>Thanks jhansher78! Encouraging comments such as yours mean a lot to me and help fuel my self-confidence.</p>

<p>But I would really appreciate it some people chance me and answer my question!</p>

4

<p>Looking pretty good for Mudd.</p>

5

<p>Does anyone have a more thorough response? I really need this...</p>

6

<p>my dad went to caltech and looking at the stats that you have now, id say that if you can get an 800 on math on the sats and maybe physics/chem satIIS, youll wind up with a pretty good shot, provided that you take those classes senior year and excel in them.</p>

<p>cornell id say even if your grades do drop, youve got a really good shot</p>

<p>columbias always gonna be a question because their accpetance rate was around 7% last year.</p>

<p>as for the other engineering-type schools, harvey mudd, carnegie mellon, cooper union...good shot definitely just keep up your grades as much as you can!!</p>

<p>good luck with everything, your story is truly motivating</p>

7

<p>Thanks Lariss1234!</p>

<p>Also, another question I have is: should I try to take the SATs in the spring, or should I wait until my senior year when my illness will be [hopefully] treated? If I take it in my senior year, it's really late and I'll only have one chance. But if take it with my headache/dizziness, I would risk failing the exam and/or fainting halfway through.</p>

8

<p>Take the ACT. Only send the test results to the schools you are interested in if you do well. If you do poorly, no one will every have to know. Unlike the SAT, when you send your ACT scores, you only send the test(s) you want to send.</p>

9

<p>I'll definitely consider the ACT, thanks!</p>

<p>Any more evaluations/advice for me?</p>

10

<p>I would wait for your senior year--you will be able to take them in Oct. and Nov. Most ED/EA schools will still accept Nov test results, but it is worthwhile to check with the admissions offices of the schools you are most interested in</p>

11

<p>Alright, anyone else want to chance me? Thanks!</p>

12

<p>Sorry for the bump... but I only got one person who actually chanced me. More please?</p>

13

<p>Wow, my thread disappeared off the first page so fast...</p>