I have a 4.0 unweighted gpa (4.88 weighted). I am currently in recovery from surgery for a very rare peripheral nervous system disorder. I am unable to do much schoolwork in recovery due to pain and just needing rest (I am exhausted). The surgery has made it extremely difficult to walk. I’m missing so much school work and I’m worried about how much my grades will drop. I want to go to Indiana University and get in automatically through hutton honors college. I’m also applying to Wisconsin Madison and University of Michigan (where I’m a legacy through multiple family members).
I am not going to mention my health in my common app because it only shows fresh-junior years. Also, health issues always sound too “excusey” in my opinion.
How will my health affect my admissions? Will colleges even care or will they view a gpa drop as a gpa drop, no exception?
You should be working with your Guidance Counselor (GC). They should be working with you to make sure you get schooling but also accommodations so you can heal.
Maybe you need to drop a course so you can concentrate on your other classes.
The GC shoudl address that you have a health issue in their letter of recommendation.
Do not try to do this on your own without telling your GC.
Agree…if your guidance counselor mentions your illness in his/her recommendation then the information comes from an independent third party and there is zero chance that it might sound like you are making an excuse. Hope you are doing better.
Stop worrying. Work on getting better and doing the best you can. As mentioned above, your guidance counselor can mention your documented illness. You may also be able to get accommodations with that documentation like late deadlines and tutoring to get you caught up. Ask teachers to work with you on a reasonable schedule.
The worst that can happen is that you lose the 4.0. Sad but in the scheme of things so what. You’re an excellent talented student. It’s not a catastrophe. You will recover from this. It just may not be the road you initially envisioned.
Your school should be accommodating your health issues. Do you have a 504 plan set up yet? If you need to be recovering at home, you also should be eligible for home and hospital teaching services. You, your parents, and your medical team should be working with the school about all of this.