<p>I saw somewhat of a drop in my grades for the terms where my father was on alert for being deployed overseas for military duty, and the term that he arrived home. I was wondering if i would want to include anything about his deployment as a catalyst for my personal growth in my essay, or in any way shape or form. Also, should i bring this up at an interview if the opportunity arrises, or does it seem like a mere excuses. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Hmm, it would be questionable to bring it up in an interview … I’m not sure about that one. But definitely write about it in an essay.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt that bringing up your father’s overseas deployment could hurt your chances in any way if you are applying to a military academy. </p>
<p>At a regular college, I think you could bring it up also–just make sure you don’t use it as an excuse, but rather talk about it the way you did here–as a catalyst for your personal growth.</p>
<p>You might not want to fully make the connection between your reduced grades and your father’s overseas deployment. I would let the interviewer fill in the gaps. If you have a copy of your transcript on the interview, you might point to the grading periods when your father was gone, but not expressly say “and that’s why my grades were lower then”. If you’re including it on your application, say “My father was overseas during semester 1 of my sophomore year, etc”. If you let the college fill in the blanks, you won’t seem like you’re making excuses.</p>