<p>I have a severe medical condition and am out of school about 2 or 3 days a week. Obviously, it affects my grades.</p>
<p>I explained my condition on the common app.</p>
<p>So, to colleges, those this seem like an "excuse" or will it hurt me in any way?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Also, what about conditions like dyslexia or something similar?</p>
<p>That’s perfectly legitimate to explain on an application. It’s not an excuse. It’s a serious medical condition that puts you at a disadvantage compared to other students. Dyslexia also puts you at a disadvantage compared to other students.</p>
<p>When you have an actual reason to be at a disadvantage, it’s not going to be seen as an excuse for bad grades. It looks like people are making excuses when they start rambling on about things that most students have to deal with and things that shouldn’t really tank their grades.</p>
<p>Some say the letter should come from your guidance counselor. Is that frequency of missing school going to last indefinitely? Can schools expect it to effect your performance in college as well?</p>
<p>If you’re clearly missing school, then it’s certainly a valid excuse. While they might be concerned about so-called “fad” diagnoses that may be misdiagnosed or overstated, missing school is legitimate.</p>
<p>Is it too late to ask your counselor to include a note about your condition? My counselor decided to write about my cancer diagnosis in his letter, saving me the hassle of writing up an explanation myself. If they can do it, it would also hopefully sound more professional.</p>
<p>Even if it’s not coming from the counselor, it will still help. And if your counselor knows you at all, he/she probably already mentioned it.</p>
<p>I believe my counselor did include it in her recommendation. And I’ve been on some new meds that have proved to help a lot, so I hope that I will be able to excel in college.</p>
<p>I avoided putting anything on my Common App. Though I’m sure colleges don’t TRY to discriminate, the very tip-top schools are going to want the best performers they can get. That’s just my thought. For most schools, I’m sure it’s better to explain your condition.</p>