Harvard Chance Me for Someone with Extenuating Circumstances

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Demographics

  • US domestic
  • State/Location of residency: South Carolina
  • Type of high school: Public
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional): White/trans girl
  • Other special factors: Legacy to Clemson

Intended Major(s): Economics /Maybe CS/Maybe Physics

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.76
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.78 out of 6
  • Class Rank: 12 / 226
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 760 EBRW 770 Math

Coursework
Taken the hardest schedule available at my school, have taken IB Bio HL, IB English A1 HL, IB Extended Essay, IB Latin B SL Seminar, IB TOK, Math: Analysis and Approaches SL, APUSH (4), APHUG (5), APMICRO (5). Taking 3 AP’s senior year and no longer doing IB because of complications from depression.

Awards

National Merit Semifinalist

AP Scholar

National Honor Society

Junior Marshall

Quill & Scroll Journalism Society

State Poetry Contest 2nd place

2-3 MUN awards ranging from local to national

3-5 Journalism awards ranging from state to regional

All Region Tennis Team

Extracurriculars

Varsity tennis player

  • Team number one since 7th grade
  • peaked at T30 in the state
  • Team Captain since 9th grade
  • Tennis Coach & Pro shop staff

Co Editor in chief for two years of Journalism

Senior Delegate Model UN 12th grade

  • Research officer 11th grade

Latin Club President

Philosophy Club President and founder

IB Leadership Council Member 11 and 12

National Science Honor Society co founder

rocketry club co founder

Concert band

Essays/LORs/Other
Lord if I know how strong these are, I like to think I am a decent writer though and do have a college consultant to help out.

Cost Constraints / Budget
N/A

Schools

  • Reach: Harvard + T20s

Worth mentioning that my GPA is significantly lower than where it was because I was hospitalized for depression junior year and missed most of two months of school for treatment. Furthermore, I am on homebound right now.

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What are your safeties?

Depression is very common. Some people feel that it might be more common among very smart students. However, it is not obvious to me whether Harvard or any “top 20” university is ideal for a bachelor’s degree for someone who has struggled with depression. Highly ranked universities can be stressful. Some of us can handle this when we are young. Some people are better at dealing with this when we are older and more experienced in life (such as for a master’s, if we ever decide to get one).

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Clemson, Connecticut College, and University of Puget Sound are my safeties. I agree that highly ranked universities can be stressful. However, and this could stem from huberace, I’m not particularly worried by it. My depression is genetic and, while not helped by, is not largely linked to school stress in any obvious fashion or, for that matter, any other stressor in my life. It’s just there. It’s also trending in the right direction.

That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate your advice. I agree that my mental health is something to consider wherever I go and your concern is 100% valid. Thank you for responding:)

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I don’t think depression should mean not applying to schools you want to apply to. In fact it approaches being discriminatory to say you should exclude certain schools due to depression, though I get the kindness involved. Harvard has many students with mental health issues, believe me.

Regardless of whether you end up at a “top school” or whatever school you feel is the best fit academically, and in terms of size, location and “vibe,” you should register with the Office of Disabilities, submit a letter from a professional , and receive appropriate accommodations.

If you were in the hospital, did you high school provide accommodations like incompletes/ extensions? It sounds like you were still doing the work and didn’t withdraw. During those two months did teachers provide packages of work for you at home?

What do you mean you are “on homebound” now. One thing schools will want to know is whether you have recovered. For a genetic, chronic illness that can be tricky because you don’t fully “recover” the way you do measles, but treatment should be able to restore functioning.

If a student takes a medical leave from Harvard for, say, depression, they have to meet certain criteria to come back, involving proof of functioning. Admissions is going to need to know about your illness and treatment because you are going to mention it to explain grades. It is important to show that you have “recovered” and have gained tools to continue at the level you need and deserve to be.

How much of a role did COVID play in your depression? I find that many students are having mental health issues and not making that connection. I am not sure why. But I imagine it could have been a trigger. You can explain that and how you overcame it.

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How did you choose your schools - it’s an eclectic list.

As you know, Harvard is unlikely for most everyone and you’ll face that. I wouldn’t call Connecticut a safety for you but I do think, since they have so many apply TO, that you’d get in.

You have 3 smaller schools - so why Clemson?

I would certainly find a school that has the counseling services to help you if needed. Many schools are strained.

I hope you get a chance to visit each, learn more about available services and find the right school for you, not just the biggest names.

Good luck.

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The OP is a legacy at Clemson.

Counseling for any period of time is found in the community for many college students. I do not think that counseling offered by the school should be a criteria, but many may disagree.

For depression that is “genetic,” not situational, medications are of great help of course.

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You will probably get into Conn College. They’ll be more than happy to take you based upon your stats, although I worry that they’ll hesitate because of your mental health issue, if it is revealed by your application.

Your stats are really not too bad, even with the academic hit you took from depression. You will get a geographical boost (South Carolina isn’t quite Wyoming, but it’s also not MA, NYC, CT, etc). If you reveal the depression, I am worried that admissions committees will be afraid that your mental health issues may interfere with your ability to perform in college; worse yet, they may be afraid that there is a risk of self-harm for which the college might be held responsible. So don’t reveal it, if there is any way to avoid it. If you cannot avoid revealing it, minimize it - although how you can minimize it when you’re on homebound schooling right now, I don’t know. But if you can manage to keep this out of your letters of reference, your guidance counselor’s cover letter, everything, do so.

Your being trans won’t give you an admissions boost. Theoretically, it should not harm your applications, either.

With all that is going on, have you considered whether staying close to home, or if you have close family near a potential school, choosing to go there, might not be a good idea? Starting college can be an uplifting new beginning for some who had mental health issues in high school - new friends, exciting new environment. But for many, the issues from high school years follow them, and the stress of crowded dorm life and separation from family support can exacerbate existing mental health issues. You don’t have to choose now, but at least make options close to home, and close to family in other parts of the country.

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A student with a psychiatric diagnosis (and this is an illness, not an emotional problem) has a right to apply wherever they please. As with any illness, admissions does not discriminate. What they do want to know is whether treatment is effective enough to enable the student to attend and do academics at the level they need at that particular school.

When anyone writes about what a person with major depressive disorder should do in terms of college applications, substitute what is more commonly known as “medical” illness, since major depressive disorder is brain-based and essentially medical.

For instance: Would a person with asthma be advised to stick close to home or go to a less rigorous college?

A letter from a professional to the Disabilities Office will help get accommodations needed, if needed, and those can go a long way to support a student with any condition or disability.

If being homebound is a sign that depression continues to affect functioning, rather than limiting where you apply, I would wait a year and continue treatment.

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I agree with staying close to home. One of my 18 year olds struggled with some mental health issues senior year, I wanted him to commute (with a nice merit scholarship), he wanted to go away (45 minutes). Thank goodness we were close by, scooped him up several times before his medical withdrawal in October. His twin with no issues is thriving at Clemson, thank goodness, because there is no quick way of getting there (she flew back after thanksgiving, still 10 hours door to door). She and a friend are driving here next weekend, 12+ hours.

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Anyone has a right to apply anywhere, to any school they want. And admissions committees have the right to reject applicants, which is likely to happen if the extent of the issue here (requiring hospitalization and lengthy, continuing homebound schooling) is revealed. That is why I advise the applicant to arrange that it NOT be revealed, if at all possible.

And yes, people with serious, unstable medical or psychiatric issues are well-advised to stay close to family support, for college.

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This sounds good to me. My point is just that you should be aware of the potential workload of attending a top ranked university and be ready for it.

Back when I was a student there is something that I eventually figured out: If you study very hard, start your homework early, and make a strong effort to always keep ahead in your studies, then it is much less stressful to be a student at an academically demanding university. One person I know has said “you have to want to do it”. If you want to do it then you should be fine.

Which gets back to your first question: What are your chances? This is very hard to predict. Your GPA is very good for someone who needed to take two months off in the middle of high school. To me your situation looks like one where it is hard to predict your chances at a top 20 university. I think that you should just apply to universities and colleges that will be a good fit for you, and see what happens.

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Depression is something a student should be self-aware of when applying to colleges, but IMO, not something used to explain away one’s underperformance in a college application.

I also don’t think college rankings are highly correlated with potential stress. Harvey Mudd, for example, is ranked #28 among LACs on USNWR (I had to look it up because I don’t pay attention to rankings), but it’s by far the most stressful among all LACs for a typical student. How much stress a student may feel depends on how poorly s/he fits with the college (and its program) academically.

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Agree to disagree I guess. In my experiences, admissions does not discriminate unless a condition is not being treated effectively. And many students with medical or psychiatric conditions go to college some distance from home. It depends. I would stay away from categorical statements on this.

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I understand she is a legacy. Just curious why it was chosen.

It’s more of a question about based on other applications, it seems they seek small.

Clemson isn’t so legacy or not it just stood out hence the question.

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I’m not sure we can say admissions doesn’t discriminate. Truth is we don’t know as it’s all subjective. What may be illegal doesn’t mean doesn’t happen.

I’m no AO but to me colleges are businesses and are looking at risk management like any other business.

Yes they have resources but if they can knowingly avoid an issue up front, I believe some will. Maybe not all but some.

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The OP says N/A to financial constraints. Does this mean that the family can and will pay whatever the net costs are to attend Harvard? Does the net price calculator show this school to be affordable without parent or cosigned loans?

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As with any applicant, admission depends on what a student brings to campus in terms of contributing to the mix in a class. They do not discriminate based on medical or psychiatric issues after effective treatment .

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I think where @parentologist and @1NJParent were going and this is where I agree is….no reason to flag it on your app….via essays etc. I personally agree. Best to leave it out of an app because while a school shouldn’t penalize you, it’s just impossible to know, even it were to slightly creep into one’s mind. The AO’s are human and may be cautious without even knowing they are. I know you disagree and that’s fine.

I do think all students need to understand the landscape of where they can get help b4 choosing a school. More kids, including mine, need health svcs of many facets and the school she attends is overwhelmed. Fortunately we’ve found ample resources outside of school but they come with a significant cost.

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The student will have to explain absence from school, and homebound status, and possibly the dip in grades w/out accommodations. The guidance counselor may have to as well. Perhaps there is a possible cover story, particularly since most kids were at home during COVID restrictions and many had dips in grades. But if someone had cancer they would disclose, and major depressive disorder is also an illness.

We all post based on the experience of our families and others we know, but there is a basic legal principal involved here as well.

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