Explaining an illness on a college recommendation

My daughter contracted mono her junior year, and it took a toll on her overall health and her grades. Not a terrible toll, but noticeable. The GC has recommended that she use the additional information space to address it, and he will also mention it in the GC recommendation. I’m concerned that it will seem like she’s making excuses though. Not sure what to do. Her other grades are pretty consistent before and after that one semester. Any advice?

Do it. My impression is that this is the main purpose of the GC recommendation. To put a student in context.

IMO if the guidance counselor discusses it in her recommendation that is sufficient. That way the information is there but your D doesn’t sound like she is making excuses.

Yes, do it, it is a legit excuse. I’d say what she was sick with, too (if you kept them guessing, they may worry that is is a mental health issue that could come back).

FWIW, mono CAN re-occur but most people are fortunate and do NOT have it more than once. Still, Us are less afraid of mono than other health issues, especially unnamed ones.

Mono is a far better excuse for a dip in grades than no excuse. Without any explanation, the assumption might be that your daughter simply slacked off. Mono was out of her control, slacking off points to a larger issue.

I would take the advice of the Guidance Counselor; she knows her stuff.

I would agree to the GC doing it but also your daughter can mention it.

Just for the sake of others, a dip in grades should NOT happen due to an illness. There should be accommodations or a leave or whatever is needed.

It is perfectly legal and reasonable to ask for extensions and postponements with mono. It is also okay to ask the school to ask teachers to collect what was done in class, homework assignments, reading materials, notes on class, quizzed and tests, for a parent to pick up and bring home.

If enough time elapses, tutors have to be provided though not sure how helpful.

During the worst of mono, people often cannot even do work, but as recovery starts, having the work sent home as described above, makes it possible to do work on the student’s own schedule. So much of school time is wasted anyway.

One of my kids was out for a health problem that was similarly disabling and her grades did not dip.

Again, this is for others who are reading this, because the OP’s kid’s mono is over presumably!

One of my son’s friends wrote her entire essay on her struggle with Lyme disease. She did just fine in the admissions cycle. When an illness affects your grades, attendance, or participation in ECs, it would be foolish not to explain this.

Although I would not recommend that the OP’s kid write their essay(s) on mono. There are generally wiser uses of that real estate.

Yes, some colleges give you space to explain things that need explaining. Keep it brief, but if its noticeable somewhere in the grades, and it sounds like it is, use the space. But again, keep it brief so it doesn’t sound like an excuse but rather an explanation! Good Luck!

Mention it. Keep it brief. Don’t make it an excuse for the grades.

I would not have the student mention it in the essay…put it in the additional information…leave it to the GC to also address it.

“some colleges give you space to explain things that need explaining.”

Yes – the Common App allots the space. I would use this supplemental space for a brief explanation if the dip was significant. If we’re talking about Bs instead of As, the GC’s note should be sufficient.

Let the GC address it. If you are really concerned mention it in the additional info section.

I agree with you in this case, @intparent . The Lyme kiddo had a particularly witty take on her illness, which is probably how she pulled it off.

I would probably use the supplemental space to give a very brief statement. Something on the order of “A severe case of mono junior year meant that I had to cut back on some activities and I did not always have the energy I would have liked to put my all into my classes. I am now fully recovered.” I only say this, because I know a few of the things the GC said they’d address in their letters probably did not actually make it in. (They showed the letters to the kids who had forgotten that the GC was going to mention scheduling issues that had made it impossible to take certain courses at optimal times.)