Background:
- black, female
-gpa: 3.8
-ACT: 31
-financial info: <30,000 - straight As, except for a few B freshman yr
- I attend a competitive NYC school that’s known for its rigor
- ECs: Saturday Writing Academy, Intern @ 5 law firms, President of Black Student Union, Debater, Editor for a magazine praised by upenn + American univerity, Voulnteer as Teacher’s assistant
Approx. Final Senior grades:
-A
-B+ (it’s at an 89 so Ik it will be an A-)
- B+ (less certain, but determined to bring it to an A-)
- D/C (this is really the grade I’m really worried about and would be lucky to bring up to a C or B)
Context:
I’m a first generation student who has worked really hard to maintain my grades throughout hs, so that I could get scholarships to attend college. I have a basic story: abusive father, drunk mom. I had to take care of my 2 sisters and worked 5-6 days per week during the beginning of my senior year to pay off college applications.
However, during my senior year classes have been tough. Although that’s not an excuse, it was a lot more stressful given my mom leaving to another country. I’ve had to maintain care for my sisters and my grades.
This year in particular I got a teacher who has embarrassed me in class for not turning in a single HW. He called me lazy and stupid and assumed I didn’t care for my education in front of the whole class during a test. As a result, I haven’t felt comfortable going to tutoring and I let my grades drop to an F at one point in his class.
Question:
I know I will probably have to write a letter to colleges, but I want to know is my story an excuse or a legitatemate reason to still be abale to gain in to competitive schools like Williams or Brown. I also want to know how much information should I provide. What’s too much? I realize that I’m not special in my circumstances, so please be as honest as possible.