I got INCREDIBLY sick (not helped by the fact I have anemia and another immunological disorder lol) that put me out of school for almost 21 in school days during the second semester of my junior year and my teachers wouldn’t let me makeup tests or assignments. I did manage to come out with only two B’s with the rest (barely) being A’s, but I would like to explain this in the additional info section since I’m trying to apply for top school and I have nothing else I would want to put in it anyway.
Another question I have is if it’s okay to attach this: so I decided to take calc l over the summer so that I can take calc lll my sr spring. Since this course was supposed to be a month long, it moved pretty fast and they didn’t allow for anyone to make up tests (worth like 80% of the grade lol). Well I happened to have a “sudden” follow up appointment due to my previous illness needing followup tests and prescriptions; this happened to be on one of those test days that I couldn’t mess and I got a 0 in that test. I managed to again survive with a B but I don’t think this truly reflects my potential (I would’ve gotten an A if it weren’t for that).
Anyway, I’m struggling to explain this and really don’t want to make it sound like I’m trying to make excuses / pinning the blame on any teachers. I asked my counselor and she said she can include the first part in her rec. But does anyone know how I myself should explain it in the additional info without making it sound like I’m making excuses? Is there anything I should say to make it sound more genuine?
Finally, would AOs even care if I explained it? I’m applying to HYPSM and given the high volume of applicants they receive + them having higher standard, I’m kind of afraid they might not care.
You don’t HAVE to put anything in additional info, and it isn’t an expectation.
Keep it brief, but I frankly wouldn’t say anything about the summer class. With a lot of absences and illness, I think you should put some additional Information from a doctor to explain if you have your illness under control. I would use the additional info section for that.
I also think you’re running the risk of scrutiny. It does seem odd that you missed 21 days of school and you weren’t allowed to make up tests or homework. I am wondering if there is some information you haven’t given us here. Of course, you don’t have to reveal anything at all. Don’t draw attention to things that might be perceived negatively.
Anemia does not really explain not doing work, to my knowledge. We don’t know enough about your immunological disorder or what made you “really sick” but assuming it was serious since you were out of school, and assuming you provided the school with documentation from a provider, it would seem your rights were violated.
I have a kid who missed a lot of school due to illness. They had a 504 plan that was inadequately implemented. I met once with a lawyer and we came up with a plan, along with the principal, that every day teachers would send home notes from class, homework assignments, tests etc. so that my kid could keep up. You may not have been out long enough for the school to be providing a tutor, but the school should have served you better.
You may not want to pin the blame on teachers or the school, but I would. Were you too ill to do any work? That is a different situation that would require course reduction/ withdrawals and incompletes.
As for applications…Our guidance counselor asked us to write a note to include with the transcript but the GC can also do it themselves. Provide a note from an MD.
It is most certainly appropriate to write something concise and matter of fact in the additional info section. My kid wrote one short paragraph. But it is important to show that you are now able to do work consistently.
As for the summer course, I cannot understand how you could have an MD appointment the same day as a test. Was the appointment scheduled far in advance? Did you know there were no make-ups? Is it possible to omit this class from your transcript (this I don’t know)?
One accommodation for chronic illness at colleges is make-ups when classes or tests are missed due to an MD appointment. Was this class at a college? Even if a high school class, it seems you should have been accommodated if for some reason the appointment was unavoidable and necessary.
If you are thinking you should explain away two B grades, please don’t. Many many students have a couple of B grades and still get accepted to top schools. And many kids with perfect 4.0 GPAs don’t.
If you don’t get accepted to a tippy top school, will never know why. You will be in the same good company as the majority of denied students who have excellent grades in high school. And if you do…you will never know why.
Please think twice about explaining something that is truly not a weakness.
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An absence that long due to illness should be explained regardless of grades. The GC can do it w/info from you. You can also write about your health in additional info if it has significantly affected your life- as long as the health issues will not impact your performance at college.
Hello! I probably should’ve explained the illness better but I just stated that I had anemia to help explain why it was more severe (I was hospitalized)
My school only allows “accommodations” if you have a certain plan (I think it was a 504 too? I don’t know but it is mainly for ADHD or more chronic diseases). The main reason I wasn’t able to complete the work was because we have a weird mid-term due date in which no work after that date could be redone (including tests).
About your kid writing a short paragraph, is it important to put that this won’t affect your ability in that certain school?
As for the appointment, my parents and I were trying for a while to get an appointment with a well-known immunologist who specialized in my disorder and they were finally able to get one on that date. I found out about it 2 days before the test and tried to ask the professor to take it early but she wouldn’t budge. As for as I know, the class won’t appear on my HS transcript but it’ll appear on my CC transcript.
I wasn’t able to make up tests / HW because we have this weird midterm rule and to get that excused, you needed a certain plan that was reserved for people with ADHD or more chronic illnesses.
I’m mainly annoyed but the fact that I could’ve done so much better if it wasn’t for that + it was in my jr year which is more “critical” in my review process.
A B grade never needs to be explained, IMO, especially not for the summer class.
Use additional info to explain, if you feel you need to, that you were sick and hospitalized for an illness and that due to school policy you were unable to make up a significant amount of work. Make sure you’re being accurate because this is something that might need to be verified by the college.
Imo, it’s much more important to explain that your illness is under control and that there is a plan in place to keep you healthy and to address your health needs once you’re at college. (Or to at least assure them you are being proactive about making those steps.) I would include a copy of a doctor’s letter if possible.
If your GC is supporting what you’ve said, that’s good. Have you confirmed for sure that the GC is providing the info in their Letter of Rec?
The point is that you want them to know you will be able to stay at college. ANY college will be concerned with this information because their goal is to keep bottoms in seats. I’d be brief and matter of fact with this.
The issue is that it’s not 100% certain that it wont afffect you again in college. Not just a certain school, but any school. Unless you have a doctor’s letter veirfying this is true, don’t say it.
In essence, your reason to want to raise the issue is because you’re trying to explain why you got a couple of Bs. Are you hoping to get more out of it though? As in, if you explain why you got Bs, they will know that if you hadn’t been ill, you might have got As? Is a small part of the motivation that they might have some sympathy for you?
I actually think that if this is mentioned, let it all come from the GC. It will hold more weight and sound less like an “excuse” for 2 Bs. I know you feel the need to expmain, but my concern is that you run the risk of making something into a red flag.
I’m playing devil’s advocate here. Using the additional info section for this is going to draw negative attention. Why emphasize that you got 2 Bs? Especially if there’s a possibility (we have no idea, of course) that you might get sick again?
I personally would leave any explanation to the GC.
My kid has a chronic illness and attended a top Ivy, with accommodations and two medical leaves. @hypsm_simp2 I was under the impression you had a chronic immunological disorder that flared. Even with an acute illness, however, you have, in my view, been ill-served by both your school and your cc. I don’t know what kind of advocacy your parents did, or you. If you have an immunological disorder and severe anemia, why were you not on a 504 plan? This isn’t about grades, it is about proper handling of illness by schools.
I would not write about your illness to explain anything and I would leave it to the GC to write about your absence and the school policy about make-ups. However you can write about your illness per se. To clarify, my kid wrote a short paragraph about how as a young child diagnosed with a life long illness, she folded her clothes neatly hoping that by being “good,” it would go away. It was only a few lines. It did not attempt to explain anything.
Schools do not discriminate based on “disability.” However they do need to know you are functioning well. That is better demonstrated by accomplishments during or after the illness, though the GC can indicate you have recovered or are back to optimal functioning (“recovery” is not possible with some chronic illnesses). For you, it should be more a matter of show not tell.
@thumper1 but the student was absent for 21 days. I know of a college that requires applying again if out for more than 14 days. Other schools may want a medical leave of absence for an illness requiring hospitalization and absence for 3 weeks.