looking for some reassurance from littleatheist

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>As a mom I have been very impressed with the commitment of littleatheist to the Vassar community. I really am sincere in saying I hope my kids turn out to be as earnest and helpful as you.</p>

<p>That being said, I need some reassurance,but of course honesty. 7 weeks ago my husband suffered an optic stroke and is completely blind in one eye and 1/4 blind in the other. This has been a stressful time for our family and I think my son's first quarter grades have suffered. I have posted previously, and apolgize for being repetetive, but could use some guidance as to whether we have to seriously consider other schools besides vassar.</p>

<p>Here goes. My son has applied ED 1 and has adored Vassar from the beginning of his college search. He wishes to prob. double major in theater and Psych.</p>

<p>large,Very competetive public hs in NJ</p>

<p>his 1st quarter senior grades:
Psych AP A
Calc AP B
physics h B
Latin 4 A
English AP B</p>

<p>Weighted GPA 4.16 40/400 1st decile, unweighted GPA3.8
SAT 1 M 770, V720, W 760 11/12
SAT 2 Bio 800, Math 2c 780
AP bio A 5</p>

<p>REcs great
Essays great</p>

<p>Extra curricular
National Merit Semi Finalist
National honor Society
Peer advisor
Marching band Brass sergeant involved 4 years
Jazz band lead trombonist 3 years
County and regional honor bands
Tons of theater involvment, acting, directing ,playwriting
Landmark volunteer
Bio freshman tutor
student director for elementary theater.</p>

<p>What do you think? will his crappy 1st quarter affect his ed1 .</p>

<p>Thank you for taking the time to review and respond to an anxious mom!</p>

2

<p>Hi Mindy, I'd be happy to give you my thoughts. First of all, though, I'm very sorry to hear about your husband and wish him as speedy and full a recovery as possible. </p>

<p>In this situation, my advice would be to have your son's college counselor contact Vassar and let them know about the recent stressor in his life. This really wouldn't be all that unusual a thing to do... I've seen several posts on College Confidential by individuals who've had their college counselor write in to explain a "lapse" on their transcript because they've had family crises and personal issues. Personally, I asked my college counselor explain one semester where my grades were a bit lower than usual (like your son, with fewer A's and more B's) because of a sports injury in his letter to schools.</p>

<p>All that being said, even if you don't have the counselor contact Vassar, I think your son's chances are still quite strong. His overall application is fantastic, and I'm sure the school will particularly appreciate the fact that he's a strong candidate for the sciences... one of the things it's working on right now is building up a better reputation as a school for science-related fields. </p>

<p>I hope this helps. Best of luck with everything.</p>