CS and Concussions...HELP

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

Hi guys I really need your help/advice
I’m really nervous about college admissions. I had a concussions in the second half of sophomore year (someone hit me on the head with a racket) and I finished the year with two C’s. One was in AP Chem and the other in Functions Analytical Geometry (pre-calc). To make things worse as I was recovering in the summer/beginning of junior year, I got caught up in another problem. To keep it brief and not provide many of the details, I filed a report against a family member for sexual abuse. This turned into, and is a still on-going, a very long, complicated, and draining process with the police, CPS, and lawyers involved. I ended up having to drop my two extra ap online courses (ap art history and ap physics), ended up with slightly lower grades ( B+ instead of A’s in AP classes), and ended up with a C in ap calc bc (the only c junior year).

I know this sounds like a lot of excuses but it really did affect me. This year, which is less stressful, I’m taking ap physics in person to make up for the dropped class and ap comp sci which I find surprisingly easy and fun.
I want to major in Poli Sci AND/OR Comp Sci but idk if I should even bother about COMP SCI since my grades suffered in math/science the last two years.

For more context of my academics;
Female, Hispanic, First-Gen
12 AP classes
3.96 gpa
29 act
A’s in math until sophomore year with concussion
usually an all A student until the concussion and incident
in a college prep program since 7th grade @ GMU, many leadership positions( President and VP of clubs and honor societies), part of the Human Rights committee of my local gov, I’ve interned with delegates, done robotics since forever, won a BAE Systems mini robotics competition, won awards (youth salute, academic honors, ect), accepted into a cybersecurity program @ UMBC . I also do recreational activity organizing in my community on the side for fun and started a tutoring program for minorities of low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
My counselor definitely knows everything and we have a good friendship so I know her rec will be great.
My two teacher recommenders have has me in class for 2-3 years and know me very well so I believe their recs will be great too.
My only concern is my actual transcript and gpa because it looks terrible. Should I even bother applying for Comp Sci?
(sorry this is long)

2

Yes, but you might get better responses if you create a thread asking for schools with easy/moderate CS entrance requirements.

3

For top schools, admissions are determined by humans. I’m sure they will understand your circumstances. The fact you can even achieve such performance with these circumstances is impressive on its own. Just try your best moving forward, then mention it in your admission (great if you could incorporate it into your essay but in a smooth and natural way).

4

I second the above, having worked in IT for 20+ years, the last 5 as staff at a top university.

These people are actually not soulless and will appreciate you being candid with them. They love nothing more than being able to show a success story of someone who faced incredible hardships and kept on going.

Also, to be honest, most Comp Sci programs are all but identical at the lower division level, so an easier to get in state college (go for the upper one if your state is a two tier system, obviously) might be a perfect fit and save you a lot of money. For instance, in California, UCLA is the hardest to get into. But the IT classes at U.C. Irvine are almost identical throughout your four years and it’s a lot easier to get into. Both carry about the same weight in terms of getting a job. At the grad level, things change, obviously. But a Bachelor’s is pretty much a Bachelor’s.