<p>I spent all of freshman and sophmore in the hospital due to a potentially life-threatening illness. During that time, I was only allowed to do school work for 10 hours per week, as I was supposed to rest. Because of this, I had to have a reduced workload and take less challenging courses (honors lab sceinces just wouldn't work when I had so little time, and I was confined to a hospital bed).
My grades were still always pretty good (never lower than a 95), but I didn't recieve as many A+s as I woulod have normally.
I no longer ill and was able to start junior year normally. However, because my doctors weren't sure what I could handle, I was forced to take a small course load (Out of nine periods, I have 2 study halls, and only 1 AP class)</p>
<p>I got a 2330 on my SATs, and plan to retake them (I'm hoping for 2360+). I am self-studying for the AP Human Geography Test, and I plan to take a few SAT IIS. I currently have all As (mostly 98/99s) in all hopnors classes. I am also involved in JSA, Academic Decathlon, Girl Scouts (I'm currently earning the hight award), Math League and Chemistry League. I aslo tutor at the middle school, teach sunday school, and run track.</p>
<p>I am worried that because I do not have an incredibly rigorous schedule (and also, because of the way GPAs are weighted, I'm barely in the top 10% of my class), I will not be accepted into my top schools (which are Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell)</p>
<p>Do you think I have a shot? I can write a stellar essay about overcoming the hospital stuff, but I'm still incredibly worried because of my poor class rank and mediocre schedule.</p>
<p>Go ahead and try. You DID take the most rigorous course available in your situation. Also, you’re very unique in background. </p>
<p>About the hurting part… You can’t rule it out. They want people who have proved that they can do heavy work, and, in your case, you haven’t, but due to your situation, they should forgive you.</p>
<p>For Senior year, I will be taking at least 5 AP courses, so hopefully that will help show that I can handle a lot of work.</p>
<p>It’s frustrating, because I’m pretty sure I would be in the top 1/2% if I hadn’t gotten sick. Hopefully at least one of my dream schools will understand.</p>
<p>Can you write about your hospitalization in an essay? Or is it one of those more personal ones that you wouldn’t want the college to know about? You could actually write a really good essay about overcomming challenges</p>
<p>Stay away from using the sympathy card and whining about how your gpa would be higher blah, blah, blah. Better to emphasize how your trials and tribulations have made you a determined and resilient person and student.</p>
<p>It would be good to write about this in an essay or at least explain it in the “additional information” section. You don’t need to retake your SAT! Focus your effort elsewhere. Good luck :)</p>
<p>I intend to write my essay about my hospitalization, but not about how it affected my grades (that will go in the extra info section, like zakuropanda suggested). I’m more so going to write about how being so sick changed my outlook on life and changed me as a person. Trust me- I do not want to come off as a whiney, woe-is-me hospital kid. I always hated them when I was in the hospital…</p>
<p>You’re in good shape, but you don’t need to retake a 2330. That’s already an amazing score, and good enough for even the most selective schools. Colleges really won’t care about the difference between 2330 and 2360+, provided you can get that score anyway. If you write about your hospitalization experience, it will definitely explain your circumstances and might make you more unique.</p>
<p>Is this a serious post? Are honestly saying that after successfully battling a life-threatening illness, getting A’s in seven periods a day, achieving a 2330 on your SATs (REALLY, your imagining you need to retake???!), getting 98’s, 99’s in your honor’s classes, that what you’re really worried about is getting into Brown, Dartmouth or Cornell?? If your story is true, you’ve certainly overcome challenges, and you’ll be a positive addition to any college campus. Many a privileged young person (and adult) can learn from your example. And if you don’t get in there, who cares? Do you really think your success and happiness in life depends on that? Is it your parents putting this kind of inappropriate pressure on you? If you were my kid, I’d be telling you to keep up the good work, but relax and enjoy your teenage years, have fun in your life. Slow down a bit, everything will work out just fine. Focus on what you enjoy, not some rat race designed to impress an admissions committee. Do you have any idea how much stress contributes to illness? You must be a great kid. Life is short, childhood is shorter, and we really don’t know how much time we have in this world. I would think that your experience with serious illness would have made everyone in your family think of that. End of rant. Enjoy your successes and STOP WORRYING!</p>
<p>i think it also depends on the kind of illness it was…
I have a friend that graduated before me who was hospitalized for a couple weeks b.c her organs were failing but after struggling with an ED but she graduated second in her class with perfect scores on the act… but she felt it was better not to disclose it</p>