<p>I am currently a junior and I have been suffering with chronic, debilitating pain for over four years now and only in the last two have I been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (when I was 15). I was wondering about how to handle the college admissions process while taking that into account. By this I mean, where do I inform them of my disability? I have not been able to perform to my best ability during high school because my body just can't handle working past 11:30, or taking 3 tests in one day without being buried in a migraine headache for three days afterwords. I would like to be able to explain to them this. Currently, my weighted GPA is a 4.8, I have a 2100 on the SAT,I by the end of my senior year will have taken eight AP classes, and I hold many officer positions. I also will be living in Peru for a month over the summer to improve my Spanish as I am taking Spanish V next year. This has all been done in spite of Fibro. I was wondering if I should apply to schools like George Washington University and University of Texas at Austin with these kind of stats. Also, I am just not sure how to include that in my applications. If it should be done in the essay section, or perhaps the additional information? If anyone has experience with applying to college with a chronic pain/fatigue disorder please help! I don't want them to not understand how hard I have worked to overcome and function every day.</p>
<p>Have your HS GC address it in the Secondary School Report. </p>
<p>If you discuss it in an essay, I would recommend that you NOT talk about the grades aspect, that is best done by your GC. Rather, talk about some way that it has influenced your view of the world, how you live your life, etc., something personal and insightful about yourself. Believe me, they don’t want to read in your essay that your gpa would have been higher if you didn’t have fibromyalgia, but they do want to hear your unique POV having lived with this condition.</p>
<p>If you discuss that in your essay, I would have another essay, too. Having that condition makes your accomplishments more meaningful; you don’t want that to be the only thing the admissions officer remembers about you, though.</p>