<p>I wrote a special circumstances portion to submit suplementally to this college through the common app. Basically I had a lot to deal with last year. My father has been terminally ill for the past eight years with Kidney Failure and he survives by dialysis home treatments every day for four hours after work. I have a genetic disease of Polycystic Kidney Disease. My mother is sick as well, and she has suffered from severe clinical depression and anxiety issues almost her entire life. She has been institiutionalized three times since I was born. A few years ago she was institutionalized for two months. Last year, my father was in the hospital from time to time, and nearly passed away. My stepmother also was hospitalized last year as well with pnemoneia ( i know i spelt that wrong), and she nearly passed away as well. So it has definitely been a tough experience for me, with trying to focus on my school work and not have to worry about the situations outside of school. It was also hard last year, because my mother had constant death threats that she was going to kill my father and stepmother (I know this sounds exaggerated or unrealistic, however I am completley telling the truth). Last year my grades suffered dramatically. I went from getting A's and B's in honors classes, to getting a C in AP World History Last year, and also a "D" in honors chemistry and "D" in British Literature (I had that course for a half a year). So clearly I need to explain myself from last year. Basically everything came to a boil and I was so stressed out that I nearly gave up. Now, however, although my parents are still sick, and I still have things to deal with, I have grown so much from last year. I am taking all honors (No AP's this year do to scheduling conflicts which I am explaining to the college), and I am trying to prove that I am capable of suceeding and that I have grown so much from last year. My GPA from 9th to 11th grade is 3.5 out of 5.0 and my class rank is 190 out of 349. (This is an AWFUL rank, however I go to the 25th best public high school in my state, and 117 kids have over a 4.0, so my grade is full of overachievers). I am also one of the only african american students at my high school. My extra-curricular list throughout high school is very very involved (especially more in 9th and 10th grade, and this year). Do you think that my grades will be looked down upon from last year if I explain my situation to college? My guidance counselor is also explaining my situation, and so is my teacher who is writing my rec. BTW, my essays are fantastic.</p>
<p>Hi,
First of all, I’m very sorry for all that you’ve had to go through. That’s a lot for anyone to carry, much less a young person. It’s good that you’re writing a supplement. I think it might be good if there is still time for you to schedule an interview with an alum in your area (since I"m guessing it’s not possible for you to travel to Smith). You may not be comfortable sharing all the details of your family story with a person in a face-to-face interview, but in part of the interview they will ask you if there’s anythinge else they should know, and you can say “Yes. I discuss this in my application in greater detail, but last year I was dealing with a serious string of illnesses in my family affecting my father and my mother has an ongoing condition that makes home life very difficult. Last year things came to a head, and that unfortunately really affected my school performance. this year is different though, and I’ve really been able to pull togehter and turn things around.” or something like that. </p>
<p>Also, I would reccommend sharing your supplement answer with your guidance counselor and having them proof it. With stories of illness and family difficulties, it can be helpful to have a less involved person read things through. You want to explain yourself as fully as you are comfortable, but you don’t want to make the reader feel uncomfortable or feel your explanation is overwrought. You should come across as clear, concise, and rational. And tone is one thing that’s hard to judge yourself when you write things. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about your class rank, that won’t be so important to Smith as your overall course rigor and schedule. </p>
<p>I think what will really be telling is your first semester senior year grades. Life is imperfect, and anyone can have difficult moments either due to family illness or personal stress or just any reason at all. What they will want to know is is this just one of those moments in your life when school had to take a backseat to other things, or is it a trend they are going to have to worry about when/if you become a student at their college. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you. I hope it turns out OK. Please take care of yourself and your family.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I am trying to work on making my application perfect besides my grades and tests scores. I think that once they read my essays and see that I can really write, that I will have the potential to be a future student at their college. I live in MA, so I most likely will try to go to an on campus interview soon.</p>
<p>Wow. All you can do is apply and see what happens. Your personal circumstances have been horrifying and while I know they will cut you slack, I have no idea how <em>much</em> slack. No offense intended (and you shouldn’t take any), but being a URM will also help. It’s hard for me…and probably any of us here on CC…to know how the cards will fall. You’re off the “normal” admissions profile and at the end of the post, I haven’t a clue. The very best of luck to you.</p>