<p>My grandfather (last living grandparent) passed away during midterms week when I had finals and papers. I was saddened by the death (though at peace with it) but more affected (really really worried) by my mom's reaction to the death, since she was in a fragile state at the time. I went home, but because of hw, I had to leave early and didn't stay until his final moments (I did say everything I wanted to say before I left). I channeled my emotions into hw... and surprisingly, it worked. What made this even more stressful was that the outcome of my transfer apps depended heavily on my mid-semester grades. Thankfully, I got straight As. I knew my grandpa would've wanted me to keep working, and I just had to seize the moment because it was my last chance to show the schools that I could handle a difficult (18-hour) courseload. I actually didn't get the chance to mention the death in my applications (besides one, where an extra essay gave room for it) nor discuss it with any of my professors. I'm just a very private person like that.</p>
<p>I'm sorry for your loss, but I encourage you to try your best to get past it.</p>