Hi guys,
I’m an upcoming international Freshman applicant from the UK. Now, due to financial issues I could only afford to take the ACT once, which I did this December. However, I unfortunately fell really ill 2 days before my exam and it really affect my performance and thus I ended up with a 25. Something like this has never happened to me, so it was really frustrating. My A Levels results achieved are amongst the very best in the country (A, A, A) and my UMS scores (kinda like national point system) is in the top 3 in my whole school. In terms of difficulty, A Levels and GCSE’s were in my opinion, way harder than the ACT material and I expected to do better and my practise tests agree, but I just couldn’t foretell I would fall ill.
Now the colleges I’m applying to (Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard and Brown) have December as the last ACT date, and I can’t really afford anymore testing (over £100 in this country including travelling), so what do I do?
Do I write an small extenuating circumstances essay in the Commin App or just email each admissions officer?
To help get a better informed picture, I’ve been really lucky to be involved in some great extracurricular activities for someone from a really “poor” background"(parents are immigrants, I’m first gen college, Bangladeshi from one of the top 3 deprived boroughs in London etc…) and I’ve helped produce a TV Show (presenter is writing me a recommendation for college apps), worked in Buckingham Palace for 2 years (one of the youngest employees), did a cultural project and lived with a random Spanish family in Spain for one week, won 2 regional football/soccer tournaments and some other cool things, chosen to volunteer for MET Police etc… And all of these are going to be mentioned in my recommendation letters and verified.
So can any one give me some advice?