Current high school sophomore

Colleges & Universities New York University
1

<p>As stated in the title of this thread, I’m currently a sophomore in high school who dreams of attending NYU down the road. I’m thinking about majoring in politics (specifically international relations), and I have oriented my schedule around this dream. I know NYU has a different program when it comes towards studying international relations, but that’s not the focus of this post. </p>

<p>Due to my father becoming quite sick (diagnosed in late 2009 with ALS), I have noticed a significant drop in my grades. I do not want to be placing blame in undue places, but I cannot ignore the correlation between the two. I had a 3.73 unweighted GPA freshman year, and I now have a 3.4. I’ve heard that colleges look for an upward trend when it comes to picking applicants, and clearly this is not the case in my situation. Is there a way that I can explain this without sounding like I am trying to make excuses? I’m a relatively strong applicant in other fields (strong ECs, solid PSAT scores - I have yet to take the SATs, many honors and APs). I am just afraid that this will decrease my chances of attending my number one school. Any input would be much appreciated, thank you.</p>

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<p>In the commonapp there’s a section where you can explain anything about your academic record. Having an illness in the family, unless you spin it as “woe is me,” shouldn’t make you sound like you’re grabbing for excuses. Just describe how it caused stress in your life, then make it into a learning/growing experience. Stick to a positive outcome slant and you should be fine.</p>