<p>Hi, I am a long-time CC floater, but this is my first post. I have a strange story to tell.</p>
<p>In my first year of high school, I started with 2 APs, Biology and World History, and had skipped to Algebra II and honors English 10...I was doing really well, until my therapist decided it was time for me to be admitted into the mental hospital.
I ended up with mixed grades, obviously, and since I was in the hospital until July of that year, I was unable to do much about my second semester.</p>
<p>Over the summer, I did a partial hospital program while catching up on credits. I was taking these classes with a program called Opportunities for Learning. It's a public program, basically remedial, and I had no trouble finishing these classes and getting As.</p>
<p>So, I decided, that my dream schools (basically UPenn or Princeton) might love it if they see a radical change in me after that awfulhorribleawful first year. So, I started taking classes again at my local high school, taking AP Psych, AP English, French 2, Pre-Calc, AP Art History, and XCountry. Normal stuff.</p>
<p>Of course, it can't end there, can it? Well, I was doing fine academically, but my eating problem/depression problem/dad emotionally-mentally-physically abusing me problem held me down, and eventually I had to drop Pre-Calc. My teachers all thought I was a stellar student. But I couldn't handle all my problems inside me, so I ended up running away one night when my father started hitting me. </p>
<p>Now, its the second semester of year two, and instead of being ahead one year, I'm way behind. Nothing has really changed for me, except now I'm homeschooling via an online program and taking five required courses (aka Government, Economics, etc) and doing A+ work in them.
But that isn't where I want to be. Ever since the 6th grade, I've been obsessed with college. I live in the Los Angeles area, so I borrowed every book on college ever written. I read an 800 page novel on the Ivy Leagues, which has nothing to do with admissions, but gives you a taste of how obsessed I was. I suppose in a lot ways I'm a normal CCer, but it scares me because I've basically thrown everything away. Even though all these circumstances haven't been in my control, it doesn't really matter, does it?</p>
<p>Oh, and background info: I'm in a family of 10, live in rundown (forever being remodeled) house, and my father is a teacher (aka 50k/year). I'm white, but I have 1/16 Apache background. All these things combined don't really help (we've all seen this here on CC) so what do I do?</p>