<p>Writing on a college essay about how extreme, and somehow uncontrollable procrastination impacted my grades and academics.</p>
<p>I know it sounds like a really bad, petty topic to write about, since almost every senior goes through senioritis or a period where their grades slip up. But I feel like I have to explain my poor grades in my junior year, and also the extremely poor grades my colleges will unfortunately see in my midyear report.</p>
<p>Procrastination IS what caused my grades to be so bad. My grades slipping up wasn't because of senioritis, or laziness (though both probably did play a role). It literally felt like a mental (and sometimes physical) handicap that I had no control over, something that prevented me from doing no where near as well as I could have in school.</p>
<p>I want to write about my procrastination habits as an obstacle in my life. I also want to include how being extremely easily distracted, trouble focusing on my work, and some other factors that I don't really want to get into here, had a large contribution to why I couldn't stop procrastinating. But with every draft I write, the essay just comes off as a student trying to cover up their laziness with excuses. And if it comes off to ME like that, I can't imagine what readers at the office of admissions would think. I don't know how to write this so that it comes off as a legitimate obstacle, something that I really did struggle with, and also without constantly making myself look bad.</p>
<p>Advice please?</p>
<p>have you overcome it and it no longer affects you negatively? if not, they will deem you a risk and probably not admit you. why admit a kid who outright says s/he procrastinates to the degree that it impacts their academic performance? if you realized the error of your ways and have since changed, then it may be a viable essay topic in this case, but even then you will have to tread lightly.</p>
<p>p.s. this isn’t meant to sound preachy or tell you procrastinating is bad, because A) I’m sure you know that. And B) I’m a senior with a procrastinating problem,too (aren’t we all? :P), so I can’t judge.</p>
<p>“My procrastination wasn’t because of senioritis, or laziness”</p>
<p>Unless you actually have a medical condition that can support that claim, what other explanation is there?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say its the best topic to write about unless you can put an original spin on it.</p>
<p>It is a bad idea-stop procrastinating by trying to make this idea work. Figure out something else to write an essay on.</p>
<p>I would not go with such an idea. Might cause the admission reader to see you in a bad light unless as kevycanuck some medical contribution or something else might have led to it.</p>
<p>@born2dance94 I’d like to say my poor grades don’t reflect what I potentially could have done in school, like I said in my original post. I’d also like to say I have improved, but unfortunately not enough to make too big of a difference apparently. Hence the “I’d like to say” part…</p>
<p>@kevycanuck and NemoStudent, I have no proof other than my transcripts with my poor grades, and my word. I think it’s obvious to all of us that that’s not enough for readers though.</p>
<p>Are you saying you believe your situation to be different than most? I’m guessing it is the exceptional HS students that actually “reach their potential”, and that procrastinating, and other less productive behaviors, are far more common. </p>
<p>Still, there are many “high SAT low GPA” threads that might give you some ideas. Not about essays, but about where to apply.</p>
<p>If you really believe procrastination was a mental blockade preventing you from reaching your potential, include that (briefly!) in the additional information section and/or have your counselor talk about it in his/her recommendation. It still seems somewhat fishy, but this way is certainly better than using it as a topic for one of your main essays. You are not your procrastination or your grades. Use the essay to write about YOU, not to make excuses.</p>