<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I’m really concerned about the future of my education right now. I think I may have gotten a C+ in German III this past semester (grades were delayed). Besides this, I have straight A’s in everything else for every other semester (including the AP classes that I took a year early). Then there’s German. It started back in middle school when I began German, I became very, very ill and missed more than half the school year, not given a grade for the course, and still moved along to German II… I did poorly in that class, getting a C+ as well, because I had gotten sick again and already lacked the foundations learned in German I. </p>
<p>This is all very frustrating to me as I get straight A’s in everything else, AP included. I really should’ve taken a language that I could start from the beginning in during High School (sophomore right now). </p>
<p>My ultimate goal is the ivy league, preferably HYP given my interests in other courses. Is this out of reach now due to the health problems I’m still recovering from? Would they understand that I did so poorly because I missed a LOT of class due to being sick?</p>
<p>If you explain why your grades are poor, they will take it into consideration.</p>
<p>However, sickness isn’t a very good excuse in this case. Usually sickness can explain poor grades in the year that you were sick. Saying missing school three years ago has had a lasting affect on your German grades is a pretty lame excuse. Colleges like HYP would expect you to take the courses you are actually prepared for, or find a way to get back on pace. It’s not the sickness’s fault that you decided to take German II and III without being prepared, and not the sickness’s fault that you did not find a way, over the course of two years, to get caught up. I mean, by your logic, you could explain 4 years of bad highschool math grades just by saying you were sick in first grade and never got the foundations in.</p>
<p>Summary: Bad grades because you missed alot of school = okay. Bad grades because you took classes you weren’t prepared for and just couldn’t keep up due to a lack of knowledge = a lot less okay. Your excuse is probably better than no excuse though.</p>
<p>Still, it’s just two bad grades admist all your other A’s and AP courses. Plus, it’s just a language. It certainly wont be a strong point, but it will not ruin your chances at great schools Good luck.</p>