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I am a high school junior at a public high school in Florida. My GPA is around a 3.0-3.1. I've taken 7 honors classes and 2 AP courses so far. I got a 1070 on my first try on the SAT (just took the new ones yesterday). I'm in the top 50% of my class (of about 560) and have taken all the academic electives I can (psychology, law studies, etc). Though my GPA and testscores aren't exactly spectacular, I have been involved in several extracurricular activities: volleyball team, weightlifting team, track & field team, poetry club, Girl Scounts and Interact (volunteer group). I also volunteer at a local hospital. I've received various awards (e.g, Most Improved Player, Most Valuable Player) in volleyball. I also helped coach a 9 to14-year old volleyball team at the local recreation center. I am 2nd in the conference and 14th in the state for girl's weightlifting. I've had three poems published. I was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder about a year ago, though I've had the symptoms since 8th grade (didn't tell my parents). With my grades and extracurricular activities, do I have a good shot at getting into a good public school in Florida? In my personal statement, should I write about my experiences with depression and bipolar, or would that look like a poor attempt at appealing to the judges to make them pity me and thus admit me?
First of all, while no college will admit you because it pities you, they may take into account that your depression and bipolar may have affected your grades. I suggest checking with your high school guidance counselor and the colleges in which you’re interested to see what is required in terms of documentation. High schools will make reasonable accommodations to students who have a condition that affects their ability to achieve to their maximum potential. Unfortunately, it may be too late for this to help you much in your high school classes. The College Board, which administers the SAT, will also give reasonable accommodations to students who have a disability that can be shown to affect their performance. These accommodations may include extra time on the SAT. Again, check with your high school guidance counselor and with the College Board (www.collegeboard.com) to see if you might qualify for such accommodations when you take the exam again (which I would encourage you to do) and which documentation you’ll need.
(sorry if this got sent a zillion times; my AOL was being extremely testy tonight!) My daughter is moderately handicapped (physically). Are there any advantages her being disabled in the college application process? (Specifically, are colleges, particularly state and/or federally funded schools, required to enroll a "quota" of handicapped/disabled, or are just minorities given special advantages?) As "just another white girl" my daughter may need to use her physical handicap to get into a good school, even though she's brilliant (but that sadly isn't always enough). Thanks for your time.
You may get some special consideration from some colleges. You'll need to check with each to see which ones have specific admission policies for the disabled. Your daughter's high school guidance officer should be able to help. Good luck!
My son is a senior in high school. He attends the North Carolina School of Science and Math, a two year public boarding school for the state's brightest students. However, his grades his junior year were poor(he ended up with 2 C-'s, a C+, a C, a B- and a B. Second sememster he had 2 D's because of terrible 3rd quarter grades.) He has just been diagnosed with ADD and is now taking Concerta. The jury is still out on whether it will help. He has applied to 5 colleges and has been deferred from 3. My question is: do we let the colleges know that he has been diagnosed with ADD? If we do tell them, how do we do it? Would that information be better from his counselor? Would that help or hurt his chances of admission? Thank you for your help! A Worried Mom
Unfortunately, I don't have very good advice for you. I can say that colleges aren't much into excuses. He may not end up at the college of his choice at this point. Personally, I'd be looking for a college where he can excel, and if he does, consider transferring as a junior. Sorry not to be of more help.
Greetings. I am a senior in high school, and I haven’t done very well in my previous years. This is not to say that I have done certifiably bad, but I’m currently working on bringing my cumulative GPA up to 3.0. I barely passed French I, and flunked French II entirely. I didn’t do very well in Math until last year (when I took Algebra II). Right now, I’m trying to better my transcript by taking some difficult classes (including AP Physics and Pre-Calculus, the latter being a college class), but it’s kind of late in the game to salvage it entirely. My problem is that I know my transcript doesn’t reflect my abilities. I’ve taken the SAT I once so far, and scored 700 in verbal and 590 in math (which I’ll be retaking this year). I’ve also been clinically diagnosed with ADD, but refused to take Ritalin since the eighth grade. I’m completely disorganized, but I’m trying to live by a rigid schedule. I guess it’s the best way to take control of that particular problem. The thing is, my college top-choices include UC Berkeley, Pomona College, Tulane University, and UC Davis. From a strictly transcript-based standpoint, I don’t stand a chance at getting admitted to any of these schools. Is there any way that I can ask that my admission be evaluated in light of my ADD diagnosis? I can get several teachers to confirm that it has negatively affected my academic performance, but I just don’t know where to start. I would appreciate any assistance you could give me.
Well, your SAT scores demonstrate high ability, so colleges won't wonder if you can do the work, they'll only wonder if you will. I think SAT scores trump GPAs in a big way. You can try to get others to make excuses for you, but my strategy would be to say to schools, look, I have this disability, I don't want to be dependent on a drug, so I have chosen to try and manage my life in other ways. I've had some success. I've had some failures, but I keep trying, and I just need a chance. All that said, it would not hurt to focus on other compelling things in your life -- community service and so forth. Have you ever considered working with kids with ADD or at least telling your story in other ways? You need to distinguish yourself and you still have time to do so. Will that get you into those colleges? Who knows, but I think you can apply with your head high. Don't make the mistake, though, of not applying to some safety schools. College really isn't your goal -- it's all the stuff that comes after that, though you may not know it now.
I have a high school daughter with Cystic Fibrosis. She is learning to care for herself and would like to explore a college away from home. Do many colleges have admission practices concerning individuals with disabilities? Are there schools with “non-smoking� dorms?
You will find many colleges and universities are extremely sensitive and responsive to students with disabilities. Many schools have specific admissions policies regarding disabilities, and I would encourage your daughter to seek the aid of a high school guidance counselor to discover which ones are best. Another suggestion might be to contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for advice. As for non-smoking dorms, the answer is “yes.” Many colleges are now sending out questionnaires regarding such things as smoking preference, gender living preference (many dorms are now co-ed), as well as what time the student goes to bed—the idea is to pair students with roommates with similar habits, which is a great idea. But of course, you have to investigate these policies on a college-by-college basis. You are to be commended for helping your daughter in this endeavor. Good luck.
My son suffers from ADD. He now is in his junior year of high school and has a combination of erratic grades but very high SAT scores. To improve his chances of being accepted by the college of his choice he plans to begin the EPGY set of AP courses. Two questions: 1) How do prospective colleges view these courses? And 2) Would duplication of AP courses (ie EPGY plus local high school course) be detrimental or advantageous?
If you’re asking how the Stanford EPGY AP courses are viewed among colleges, the fact is, the EPGY AP courses require the same College Board AP exam as the ones offered in high school. Acceptance of AP coursework by colleges is based on the results of the exam, not the participation in the class. EPGY says they have a 90% success rate of exams scores of 4 or 5, which is excellent. Regarding your second question, there is no reason to take an AP course twice since the exam is really what matters for college credit. Move on to different challenges. Good luck.
I am 15, a sophmore, and, with a lot of work, receive average grades in high school. I have some learning difficulties, although I am not in any special classes. My PSATs are horrible and probably will not improve much over the years. I am a varsity soccer and lacrosse player. I have received three letters from college lacrosse coaches expressing interest. Do I have a better chance of getting into college because of my athletics? I do not want to get in over my head (academically) just because of athletics. Do you have any advice?