<p>Ummm, so my grades first semester were significantly lower than my grades freshman-senior year. I was sick all semester with some mysterious virus, and I was out of school for almost a month. I worked hard to stay on top of my work, but I had constant fever/fatigue and, combined with typical senior-year stress, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. Do y’all think I should mention this to Brown? I’m really worried that my drop in grades will negatively affect my overall application, and I don’t want them to think it was because I slacked off. I also don’t want to look like I’m just trying to make excuses if I send something like a doctor’s note explaining everything. What do y’all think?</p>
<p>Do you know your counselor well? Make sure he/she includes all that he/she needs to in your midyear report so Brown knows what’s up.</p>
<p>Yes. Definitely have your counselor explain the grades, or include a note in the “extra information” section of the Common App. This is the kind of thing you don’t want to leave unexplained.</p>
<p>Thanks! Yeah I’ve been having a hard time convincing my dad it’s a good idea but I think I might go ahead and get my counselor to write a note anyway.</p>
<p>This sounds like you’re making excuses. Colleges, especially Brown, don’t like this.</p>
<p>MosesGoldberg is entirely incorrect. If you were making a lame excuse, then it would be a very bad sign. However, this is legitimate and has a huge impact on his application.</p>