<p>you’ve got some good advice here. just make sure to be upfront about this in interviews. if the occasion arises to mention this, MENTION THE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FIRST, talking about how you persevered and how unfortunate and out of your control they were. then, admit that they led to academic under-performance. they will mark this in their notes. this is probably the best approach - be as honest and forthcoming as you can. an AO might take pity on your situation and become impressed with your upward trend.</p>
<p>big schools are not your friends in the admissions process, IMO. try a LAC that prides itself of individual attention and nurturing…pick up a copy of the book “colleges that change peoples’ lives” for some suggestions. these are colleges that actually prefer a student like you versus a 4.0+ “dream applicant”. get to know them. the colleges listed in the book are (copy/pasted straight from the website):</p>
<p>Agnes Scott College
Allegheny College
Antioch College
Austin College
Beloit College
Birmingham-Southern College
Centre College
Clark University
College of Wooster
Cornell College
Denison University
Earlham College
Eckerd College
Emory & Henry College
The Evergreen State College
Goucher College
Guilford College
Hampshire College
Hendrix College
Hiram College
Hope College
Juniata College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University
Lynchburg College
Marlboro College
McDaniel College
Millsaps College
New College of Florida
Ohio Wesleyan University
Reed College
Rhodes College
Southwestern University
St. John’s College
St. Olaf College
Ursinus College
Wabash College
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Wooster, College of</p>
<p>i wish you luck. :-)</p>