Extenuating circumstances. . .

How much do extenuating circumstances matter? I have not taken many honors or AP’s, but I have had a number of very serious events over the course of my high school career which have contributed to that. I really don’t feel comfortable talking in specifics, but one in particular has broad and long-lasting implications. How much will colleges take this into account?

<p>too vague to tell. Just don't make you primary essay about it. Make your primary essay show how you are interesting and will contribute. The extenuating circumstances should be a note in the other information section, with the gravity of the situation explained. Also it should be in your GC's recco.</p>

<p>but won't they look down upon my apparent lack of rigorous courses? I would really like to go to Penn or Stanford, but I fear that the extenuating circumstance to which I'm referring- and while I don't want to talk specs, trust me, it's a whopper- won't diminish the simple fact that I haven't had a particularly full class schedule.</p>

<p>It's one thing if you take tough classes and suffer due to an outside situation, but you didn't sign up for them in the first place, so it'll probably be harder for you to use it to explain your schedule.</p>

<p>what I'm talking about is something that began in early eighth grade and isn't over. it's something that I have dealt with every day and has, from day one, changed how i can live my day-to-day life. Melodramatic? Probably, but still. . . will it make a difference?</p>

<p>Of course it will make a difference, but colleges still can't ignore the fact that you didn't take courses which are the most rigorous ones.</p>

<p>good point. alright. . . well, bearing in mind the circumstances- remember, "WHOPPER"- high tester, ec's up the whazoo, good grades (in hard, but no where near the most rigorous courses) and pretty good essays, do I even have a chance at any ivy, or should i just shoot lower?</p>

<p>halfro1,
make sure that your pertinant information mentioned in your GC's recommendation. You can mention it in your app, but if your GC has talked about it, you don't need to dwell on it.</p>

<p>uhh..just keeping saying whopper over and over doesnt help us try to imagine what happened, and without really knowing the details i dont think anyone can really predict something like that...but it wont hurt to apply wherever you want to go, just make sure you apply to safeties too</p>

<p>hehehehehe. . . sorry about that. it's kinda personal though. anyway, thanks everybody!</p>

<p>You state that you have</p>

<p>high tester, ec's up the whazoo, good grades </p>

<p>Since your personal situation has not prevented from doing well in school and gathering up a bunch of EC's, you may be frowned upon for not taking the most rigerous courses that has been offered by your school because it will look like you are making an excuse for taking the "easy way out" vs, had you taken the most rigerous course, had a slight drop in grades which could have been attributed to your situation.</p>

<p>I think that you're just trying to be suspenseful. Call me callous. I really don't see any extenuating circumstances that would choose you from selecting rigorous classes. Plus, in order for us to evaluate your chances at the Ivies, we're going to need more information. From this, even with a good GPA, I really don't see you getting in. Why? You didn't chose the hardest classes. Stanford: Only the best of the best, enough said.</p>

<p>It depends on your extenuating circumstance. We can't give you an accurate answer about how colleges will take it into account, if we don 't know anything about it.</p>

<p>Why didn't you start taking more rigourous courses after your freshmen year? If you were able to get great grades your freshmen year with this "whopper" of a problem, why didn't you start taking more rigorous courses as you progressed in high school? Even in the first week of sitting in a class you can determine how difficult a class will be. If it was too easy for you why didn't you get a schedule change and get into a more rigorous class? It makes it seem like you took the easy way out.</p>

<p>faxanadue shutup, that's not a nice way to talk to someone. some people have real problems, maybe grades from one year prevented him from entering a course for the next year, or maybe the problem carried on towards next year. I say if that is the case talk to your guidance counselor</p>