Long story short(er), a few years ago, my grades dropped because it was 2020 and I was affected particularly heavily by the pandemic. I developed mental health issues. Luckily I donāt have to submit those because just looking at the transcripts upsets me haha.
My grades the following year were much better and I had all As and A+s. However, I was extremely bored during classes because they put me back in prealgebra (way too easy for me) so that I could be with motivated students.
The next year, I got all As in the first two quarters, then my life went through a significant change and my mental health dropped/became inconsistent again. I got and A and a C in art (Iām actually a very good artist and the trouble was with not submitting assignments) and two Cs in Algebra 1. Other than that all As.
Iāve solved all of my issues now and Iām doing a lot better (taking ap calculus outside of school because my algebra 2 class in school is low effort and Iāve already self studied trig and precalc, in a college logic class, ap environmental science, and honors/high school lit/comp and history [last two are incredibly easy for me and i should be in the ap classes for them but thatās another story]).
Should I contact the school and give them this information (explained and formatted differently of course) along with my progress reports and grades when I email them (having difficulties with school over transcripts so they said that I can email them grades + progress reports instead)?
tl;dr: I have some less than ideal grades that donāt represent me as a student due to mental health issues at the time.
Otherwise I have a very strong application. I just would like to know what I should do and how this will impact my admission.
Would adding this to the email be a faux pas or would it work?
Dear [school] Admissions Office,
Here are the grades and progress reports as promised. Iām providing the links in Google Drive folders for easy access.
This next part of the email is to provide necessary context to my academic record.
In the academic years affected by the pandemic, I experienced a decline in my mental health state. I would like to emphasize that I have successfully addressed and resolved these challenges. However, I experienced a brief setback in art and prealgebra due to personal circumstances that affected my mental health yet again and discouragement due to being put in a course that wasnāt at my grade level.
However, I have overcome these challenges and continued to excel in my studies. Since then, I have completed precalculus and trigonometry courses and now learn at an AP Calculus level alongside my required Algebra 2 class, which I am currently passing with flying colors.
My progress reports also add some insight to my academic performance. I am also happy to provide any additional information or documentation if necessary, or additional statements
Thank you for your understanding, and I appreciate your consideration of my application. I am confident that my recent academic achievements reflect my true capabilities and dedication to my studies. I am very excited at the prospect of attending and continuing my academic career at [school].
Sure, you could. There are also some more ways to mention it in the application as well. Parent statements, add info section, but the email seems well-written and mature.
Keep in mind that I am a parent. I would not send that email nor would I draw attention to any mental health issues, past or present. The schools you are applying to are all difficult to be accepted to. For every applicant that has a mental health issue, there are dozens who donāt. All with extremely similar/identical profiles. They are looking for any reason to toss applications in the reject pile. A known mental health issue that you have already ārelapsedā on once would be a good one.
It is an extenuating circumstance though and my edited statement focuses only on the second time (the one that impacted my grades). Grades were also affected by personal issues that resulted in having to drive and move around a lot which took focus away from academics/extracurriculars. I place emphasis on the fact that I have recovered + my personal issues have been resolved and I think that 3 Cs would leave a really negative impact on my application.
You have a good point though. Iām going to read over my edited statement and see if I can rephrase it. My mental issues are definitely not going to be a large part of application at all and this statement would be in the additional information section.
You may well never have mental health issues again. Hopefully not. Telling them about your mental health issues doesnāt enhance your application, IMO. Mental health issues have a sneaky way of coming back, and they are aware of this.
Every student suffered due to the pandemic. Many struggled to get back on track for a couple of years after the pandemic, and many still struggle. The things you are saying sound like excuses, IMO.
If the school you are applying to is very competitive, there will be many other students who suffered mental health issues but managed to stay on top of their grades. Hopefully the admissions officers will look at your app for its strong points. Your recommendations will probably be important. If you think you need to explain a C, youāre mistaken. A D or F might require explanation. Not a C, especially not a C in art.
First, please donāt listen to the advice of fellow applicants, they have no special knowledge and do not know anything you donāt know.
I have been very close to boarding schools for 20+ years, and I know there is an epidemic of mental health issues, and kids having to take leaves due to them. Which is not ideal for the kid or for the school. So the schools are trying very hard to find kids that are resilient, and donāt have any red (or yellow) flags in their application. Accordingly, I would not draw attention to it.
That said AOās are compassionate, and realize the pandemic was difficult for so many kids, so you donāt need to make the case for them.
My issues didnāt source directly from the pandemic. I had a lot of personal things outside of my control going on in 2023 and a C is not representative of me as a student. I would consider myself very resilient with the way I handled the circumstances.
Would it be better to have my mom write something for the additional information instead of myself?
If you want to enhance your chances of admission, do not mention mental illness. If you want to have a successful boarding-school experience, consider strongly whether an intense academic and extracurricular environment is the best situation for you. In my opinion, students with such struggles should choose less stressful high school environments than the ones at the GLADCHEMS and similarly difficult schools.
Boarding school is a very good fit for me. Iāve consulted with an advisor from my scholarship program. None of the issues were my fault. Iāve recovered from the mental illness in question (depression).
