<p>Yes, my GPA is a 2.7 and my ACT score is 36. My extracurriculars are strong, and I am a National Merit Semifinalist. In my essay, I explain the cause of my poor grades (clinical depression) and I try to give schools some hope that I am going to have a successful experience in college. My college counsellor and my English teacher say that it is beautifully written.</p>
<p>I am applying to Madison, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Knox, DePauw (significant legacy), and New College of Florida. How will these schools react to my unusual profile?</p>
<p>Each school will react differently, as each puts different weight on different things. However, make sure to include an explanation of your clinical depression as the cause.</p>
<p>Do any of those schools have full rides for NMFs? Schools like that would likely (1) put test scores first and (2) almost certainly do so for a NMF with a good reason.</p>
<p>I have heard that schools hate essays that explain bad grades, they look at it as making up excuses for why you did poorly. There are kids out there who will apply and write essays about how they have clinical depression but got straight A’s in school.</p>
<p>BillyMc, I know that New College offers a significant (14k/yr) automatic scholarship to NM semifinalists. And I know that the liberal arts schools on my list are more likely to take a holistic approach to reviewing applications that Madison, Milwaukee, and Minnesota.</p>
<p>Gardy24, I can imagine that schools wouldn’t want to read a bunch of excuses, but I thought that in my case they might be looking for an explanation for my poor GPA. I acknowledged that my grades are my own, and didn’t spend more than a paragraph talking about them.</p>
<p>Does anyone know which of these schools puts the most emphasis on the essay/test scores? Also, can anyone speculate about the impact of legacy at DePauw? Twelve of my relatives have gone there over the last 90 years or so, and one was a trustee.</p>
<p>As far as ECs go:
Cross country, four years, varsity
Track, two years, varsity
French club, math club, wilderness club, all four years
School Newspaper, Senior Editor, two years
School literary magazine, Editor, two years
Honor committee, one year
Student Government Class Rep, one year</p>
<p>Service:
Student run peer tutoring service, founding member, two years
Athletic Center volunteer, two years
Campaign volunteer, two years
Public Library volunteer, one year</p>
<p>Other:
Foreign Exchange, three weeks hosting a French student and three weeks in France.
Northwestern Center for Talent Development, summer class, A-
Audited a summer college course at UWM.</p>
<p>Honors:
NM Semifinalist
AMC 12 School Winner, two years
Scholarship for academic merit and leadership qualities, three years
Scholarship for musical talent, three years</p>
<p>StanfordCS,
Learn how to take the test and how to avoid trick questions. Practice tests help, but the class I took didn’t. Also, take it multiple times. The first two times I took it I got a 32 and a 33.</p>
<p>your essay will probably compensate for your GPA- I would hope that clinical depression is a good enough reason for your grades. maybe not ivies but some other top-tier schools you will probably have a chance at.</p>
<p>Thanks. It’s frustrating that no one has really been able to chance me at any of these schools. My college counsellor says that it’s possible that I will be rejected everywhere I apply, but also possible that I will be accepted everywhere.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate anyone’s attempts to chance me for these schools–even if they’re basically guesses</p>
<p>If you explain your condition very well and emphasize that you will be able to do well in college, then they will understand and you should be okay.</p>
<p>Thanks, Ethicist. I think I explained it pretty well, without excessive self-pity. I don’t have any documentation of my condition (like a letter from my psychologist/psychiatrist), but I could get it if a school asked for it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the links, Shrinkrap. And no, there’s no way I could be a finalist with my grades. My school told me not to even apply. But being a semifinalist has got to count for something.</p>
<p>Let me grant that your depression explains your mediocre grades. But why should an adcom think it will be any different in college? Either (a) your depression isn’t under control, in which case they have every right to expect mediocre college performance, (b) your depression IS under control . . . but then why the average grades, or (c) you just recently got your depression under control after 3 years of being out of control, in which case you don’t really have a track record.</p>
<p>I don’t think explaining the past is the problem for you. I think what will make the difference in your applications is how well you are able to convince the committee that your future won’t resemble your past.</p>
<p>FWIW, if one of my patients would benefit from a letter, it would be for the student who I knew had learned a lot about managing their illness (triggers, signs, coping and preventive strategies) and not one who based their success on the “right” medicine unless there was more than a year asymptomatic on one medicine. I’d curious about how you managed those EC’s, but I am not asking you to explain it.</p>
<p>Got2BeGreen.
Yeah. This is an area of concern. I have gotten a handle on my depression very recently, but it’s unclear whether this is a long-term thing or just a temporary lull. And though I do truly believe that I will have much more success in college than I have in high school, I have no evidence that that will be the case.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap. My psychiatrist is entirely convinced that my life will change dramatically once I leave home, and that I should be applying to top-tier schools. I don’t know if this will prove to be true, but I know he would write a letter to that effect.</p>
<p>As for ECs, most of them have minimal or flexible time commitments. And track and cross actually help my depression. Exercise is a mood elevator.</p>