Omg, is there anything I can do to save my application?
I'm so scared. After I finished my application my parents convinced me to add this into the additional information slot, because we thought it could do nothing but help us (we applyed to UF beforehand and their application asked specifically for this type of information). It's all true, but now I'm freaking out because I read on a different post that any type of excuse will just make you look like a whiner and get you automatically rejected. Is there anything I can do to get this removed/ignored by adcoms?
"Family obligations and illness in the family had limited me to be involved in the extra curricular activities as much as I wanted to. My mom had been sick & had bee on medical leave of absence from work for a year. She had to undergo surgery & radiation of the pituitary & another surgery in October 2006. Unable to provide for the family, the burden of taking care of the household, my mother, & my younger sisters was entailed to me, leaving little time to participate in school activities. In addition, my father had to allocate most of his time to his job in order to keep up with the family expenses. He had accompanied me to Boy's Scout activities & went camping whenever he can during the times mom is in her better days. I wanted very much to earn Eagle Scout but I was happy to have the First Class Rank & Historian despite all the odds. Because of life trials, I have gone closer to God & was more active in the church activities (church members pick me up) & became the second counselor & assistant to the bishop."
That sounds totally legit, you explained it really well and did not come off as whiney or as making excuses. I think the adcoms will understand, and if they don't, it's their loss.
No, that is a perfectly reasonable and well-sounding "excuse." If anything, it will help your chances. I wrote something similar to this, and I got in.
I wrote in my "additional information" section that I was severely limited in the scope of activities I could engage in because I do not really have a ride. I wrote about how I take 40 minutes of bus home from school everyday, and how I had to bike several miles to an adjacent city to take my SATs.
It's an additional information section because they want to judge you in the context of your environment. We can't all have picture perfect lives where everything goes the way we want them to...
to the thread starter, I really believe that's not complaining and a valid "excuse."
Anyways just a quick question related to this:
I got 2 B+'s and a B each semester on sophomore year because I moved halfway across the country from a really easy large public school to a really small competitive, academically rigorous private school. There was a huge drop on my transcript: all A's and A+'s to B's i just mentioned.
This year, junior, I'm doing much better (A's and A-'s).
Location: I wonder how large this dialogue box is? I mean, it seems like a place name can't be much longer tha
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Don't freak out!
This is from Yale's website (specifically the FAQ section......Also, I'm impressed with myself that I remembered this nearly verbatim....anywhoo):
I was very sick first semester of junior year, and my grades suffered. Once I recovered, my grades improved. How can I let Yale know about my special circumstances?
Ask your guidance counselor to address any special circumstances in his or her letter. Some students also choose to write about particular challenges in their personal statements, but it is always a good idea to have your counselor explain the situation.
In any case, what you did was absolutely legitimate: You provided Yale with additional information where you felt it was necessary.
No, this is totally legitimate and Yale would prefer you tell them this than to just blindly go into your application and think "Hmm, this person has fewer ECs than most others.."
They take these sorts of things into account and as a result will most likely be MORE impressed with what you were able to accomplish despite your family's tough situation.
So basically, don't listen to onthebrink, you don't sound like a whiner, you sound like you're grateful for the experiences you were able to have, despite hoping for more. (evident in this: "I wanted very much to earn Eagle Scout but I was happy to have the First Class Rank & Historian despite all the odds.")
So keep your head up, this definitely won't affect you negatively.
Good luck!
Thanks for all the support guys. I was really worried, but hopefully the adcoms won't view the additional info in a negative light. Its a relief to know I'm not the only one who wasn't able to do all the extracurricular activities I wanted to. Good luck to everyone on April 1st!
I was really worried, but hopefully the adcoms won't view the additional info in a negative light. Its a relief to know I'm not the only one who wasn't able to do all the extracurricular activities I wanted to. Good luck to everyone on April 1st!
