How will this affect me?

<p>9th grade: All A's and 1 B</p>

<p>10th grade: Mostly B's, few B+'s and C's. My performance was greatly affected due to multiple issues and I'm still dealing with them.</p>

<p>11th grade (expected): Mostly A's, with maybe 1 or 2 B's or B+</p>

<p>I'm studying in Quebec and over here high school ends in grade 11. We then move on to CEGEP (2 years of post-secondary education). I will be doing the IB full diploma program for CEGEP and I'm expecting to perform exceedingly well. Do I still stand a chance for admission at MIT and other top schools? </p>

<p>One other thing bothering me are EC's. Does it really matter if I have a mile long list of EC's, or a small, but focused one? I've never really gotten the chance to get involve outside of school (once again due to personal issues) and I'm looking forward to change this once I move on to CEGEP. I've also been diagnosed with several mental diagnosed with mental illnesses and I am slowly learning to cope with them as well. </p>

<p>So basically if I show an upward trend in my grades (growth) and eventually (very soon!) get myself involved into something I really love and am deeply passionate about, will I able to stand (even if a little) for the admission? Do I still have a chance?</p>

<p>Thank you for reading this!</p>

<p>Bump…</p>

<p>Yes you have a chance, but be realistic about the schools you’ll get into.
And upward trend is always good. Having a laundry list of ECs is fine, but just choose a few out of it and concentrate on them. Of course you can go to a college with those grades.</p>

<p>Also, talk about the issues you’ve had in the additional information of the common app (don’t know if they use that in canada…). If they’re legitimate issues that could’ve affected your school work, then it’ll make some adcoms a tad more lenient. But definitely depends on the issue.</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply. Do you know if they look at your last semester of your high school grades (gr.9-11) or the whole year in general? We don’t have any cumulative average here…</p>

<p>I think they look at the whole year in general.</p>

<p>I also read that they look at your transcript and not your high school report card. Whats the difference? </p>

<p>We also have one extra year (grade 13 - CEGEP year 2) before university. Is this considered by the admission committee? Cegep is entirely different from high school, and far more rigorous…Also, how much should one get (IB score - out of 45) in order to stand/be competitive with other applicants?</p>

<p>Well, are you applying to american schools? I’m sure they know the deal with Canadian applicants, since there always students applying between the two countries. So they’ll take your CEGEP into consideration.</p>

<p>And there is no difference between your transcript and report card…and each school formats their transcripts/report cards differently. Either way, the colleges will see your grades. :)</p>

<p>And sorry, I don’t know anything about IB scores!</p>

<p>Without SAT scores and knowing what you’ve achieved in terms of ECs, no one here can begin to tell you your chances.</p>

<p>MIT has a very high SAT average, so scores will be important. They will look at your whole high school and CEGEP record. They look for students who have shown passion for an academic area and achieved honors/awards/accomplishments outside of the classroom.</p>

<p>Under no circumstances should you mention issues with mental illness on a college application, and especially at MIT. It is a very stressful school experience and stress often worsens mental issues. MIT is especially aware of this and was sued by the parents of a mentally ill young woman who committed suicide there in recent years. Also be sure that such a high stress environment would be appropriate for you.</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply, hmom5. How will I be able to explain my low grades in 10th grade then (or the reasons I couldn’t get myself involved in/out of school in different activities)? I don’t think I have any serious mental issues (OCD and Bipolar disorder) and if I demonstrate them that how I have been able to exceed well beyond despite my these conditions, wouldn’t this rather look positive to them?</p>

<p>I’m still in grade 11 and I’m doing very well. I think I can definitely improve my grades and hopefully I will be (soon) getting involved into activities and projects I’ve been really passionate about…</p>

<p>Sorry for asking too much or being repetitive…=S Thanks!</p>

<p>I would work with a good counselor on how to position your weaknesses. IMO, there is now way I would mention bipolar disorder or OCD.</p>

<p>Okay, thanks hmom5! I didn’t really expect schools like MIT to disregard anyone because of any mental “disability” or illnesses…oh well, I’ll definitely consider your advice.</p>

<p>I’m still confused. This probably means I shouldn’t even attempt to even apply there now…or any other top institution. I’m not dying to get in and I will most likely consider universities where I’m sure to get in…but still its like my dream university.</p>

<p>Is it the same anywhere in the world? How about Cambridge, would they disregard you because of any disability?</p>