<p>This summer and beginning of the school year were really stressful for me (family/financial problems caused in part by my dad getting liver cancer). Everything is great now (financial problems still there, but my dad's cancer free), but my grades took a small dip (due to various reasons revolving around this). (The BEST my grades can be is B, B+, C/B-, B, A.)</p>
<p>I wouldn't be worried if I wasn't aiming for schools like Tufts/UC Berkeley/UCLA.</p>
<p>There's a huge difference between my first and second quarter grades (for example, I got a 76% on one of my first calculus tests and got a 97% on a recent one. 77% on AP Chem exam, 113% on the most recent one) Of course, the grade averages out to a B (C-work first quarter, A-work second quarter).</p>
<p>I really don't think my grades reflect my potential or academic ability. It just reflects someone who didn't know how to balance her schoolwork and personal life. I definitely learned from this, and as you can see, my scores have gotten better.</p>
<p>What I'm wondering is: is it worth it to write a letter explaning (not looking for an excuse, but would it be seen that way?) this and have my counselor attach it to the midyear report? She also wouldn't mind writing about it instead.</p>
<p>I'd recommend having your GC write a note and attach it to your mid-term report. I think it's easier for a third part to address these kinds of situations and then you don't have to worry about sounding like you're making excuses.</p>
<p>I think I'll write a short letter to my GC then. I don't want colleges to take it the wrong way, but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving this unaddressed.</p>
<p>Hopefully your GC is familiar with the UC admission process and knows who to contact. The problem is the UC schools don't get a midyear report, nor do they accept letters of rec. So while this is important info for them to consider, its not clear how to get it to them at this point.</p>
<p>Ideally you would have brought this up in your personal statement. The prompts themselves are vague, but in the supporting info they say
[quote]
The most compelling personal statements often include discussion of…</p>
<pre><code>* Your academic record, accomplishments, and activities.
* **Any unusual circumstances, challenges, or hardships you have faced **and the ways in which you have overcome or responded to them.
<p>Hey mikemac, thanks so much for that. I didn't know about that (way to not read the directions), but luckily I addressed it it the third section.</p>