Does UCLA or UC Berkeley take into consideration medical issues that negatively affect grades. I experienced debilitating chronic migraines during sophomore year and I was prescribed an extremely strong anti-convulsant medication that impaired my cognitive abilities, including nausea, dizziness, and concentration issues. Thankfully, I was taken off the medication right before 11th grade and the side effects vanished. I ended up getting a B in AP World History and a C in AP Chemistry. However, I received straight A’s during 9th grade, straight A’s in 11th grade and currently have straight A’s in 12th. Will the admissions people recognize that the medical issues created an academic anomaly since I couldn’t function at my full potential?
Yes, they will take these factors into consideration if mentioned in your personal insight questions.
What we look for: (From UCB’s website)
-Initiative, motivation, leadership, persistence, service to others, special potential and substantial experience with other cultures
-All achievement in light of the opportunities available to you
-Any unusual circumstances or hardships you have faced and the ways in which you have overcome or responded to them. Having a hardship is no guarantee of admission. If you choose to write about difficulties you have experienced, you should describe:
-How you confronted and overcame your challenges, rather than describing a hardship just for the sake of including it in your application
-What you learned from or achieved in spite of these circumstances
Is it ok if I mentioned it in the additional comment section after the academic history? I wrote about a different hardship I experienced for the personal insight question.
As long as the admission officers are aware of your specific situation then it will be noted. I would think that if your health had such a huge impact on your grades that it would have been better to elaborate in one of the insight questions.
I wrote this: In 10th grade, I experienced debilitating migraines. I consulted with neurologist Dr. Lekha Rao to determine treatment plans. After an examination, she prescribed a high dosage of Topiramate, which is an anticonvulsant that prevents migraines. I took two tablets every day, but the medication caused severe side effects throughout my sophomore year that impaired my concentration, which included nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, and confusion. When 10th grade ended, I was taken off of Topiramate and the migraines and side effects have permanently vanished.
Is this sufficient? In the personal insight question I wrote about not having a father as my most significant hardship and how it has effected me emotionally, financially, and academically and what I have learned from my situation.
Yes, they will recognize a medical issue if you have a neurologist that approves of disability.