Help!

Applying to College
1

<p>So I am really worried about my first semester senior year grades. I am normally a good student (All A's except for four B's throughout whole high school record), but this semester, due to applications, my grandmother being extremely sick, and contracting swine flu for a while, my grades have drastically dropped so that I have 2 B's (in AP courses), 1 C+ (in Calc AB), and 1 A (in Gov Honors). </p>

<p>I am really, really worried because I am applying to competitive schools that are in the top 15 in US News and Rankings.</p>

<p>So my question is, on the CommonApp, there is an Additional Information part-- should I use this to explain my situation or would I seem too whiny/excuse-ish? Also, what is the best way to explain to these colleges that it's not because I was lazy?</p>

<p>Thanks, and please reply soon!</p>

2

<p>If you honestly had medical issues that affected your schoolwork, yeah, it’s fine to explain your situation in the additional information section. If you can, though, I’d really fight to get that calculus grade up to a B-; Cs just do not look good.</p>