my senior grades are lower than i expected.how will this affect my application?

<p>This is my situation, any constructive feedback will be appreciated.</p>

<p>I've been pretty near the top of my class all through high school, I have really good ECs, excellent SAT scores (2210). </p>

<p>Its not like i was ever aiming for harvard but i was going to test my chances with some other top schools, like brown, emory, tufts, boston college, tulane, uchicago, nyu, williams</p>

<p>senior year i totally blew my grades and my teachers suggested i see a psychologist. they are all asking me whats going on and the truth is i have been having problems at home. my mom tried to commit suicide and i think i might be going a bit crazy myself with all the pressure. school wasnt a priority for me this year because it couldnt be.
and furthermore, this might sound bad, but to me going to school is a choice. i do it because i want to. and being top of my class has never been a goal for me. i just always happened to do really well, sometimes with only tiny amounts of study. in other words, i am far from a "geek" in its typical sense. </p>

<p>so initially even though my grades were falling i really didnt care, it meant nothing to me or my self worth. </p>

<p>but now that its college app time and it looks like i have senioritis whereas that is far from the label i would give it....i dont know what to do. i am in such desperation just because of the fact that until last year....i had such a bright future. now i cant apply to any of my top choices and i break out into crying fits whenever i think about the mistakes i made these past 3 months. i hate how they just cancel out the 3 previous years of my life in which i was doing well.</p>

<p>does anyone have any advice/friendly support?</p>

<p>ps. i do not and will not tell anyone at school, including teachers/councelor about the situation with my mom. i wont even consider it. please understand me. its a matter of privacy.</p>

<p>is there another way i can explain the situation to colleges on my own?</p>

<p>have you sent in your apps yet?</p>

<p>If yes, it could not hurt to send, by snail mail, a letter to your schools explaining your situation this semester at home…</p>

<p>If you haven’t applied yet, can you use the additional info section?</p>