How am I doing?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I’m Connor and this is my first post here. I’m a junior in Florida, and I attend Florida State University Schools. It is essentially a K-12 research school run by FSU’s school of education. It is located in Tallahassee, FL, so naturally I’ve been exposed to a LOT of FSU stuff. Which means I want to go there for college. A lot of people I know go to Tallahassee Community College for two years to get their AA, which is supposed to give you a better chance of being accepted into FSU, but I am going to apply to FSU anyway. </p>

<p>I haven’t had the best grades in the past few years, but it’s for a good reason. In March of 2011, during spring break, I was diagnosed with a Malignant Ependymoma (brain tumor). I almost died, and I didn’t return to Tallahassee for the rest of the school year. I actually had to start my tenth grade year finishing freshman coursework. Then in 2008, I had to have surgery on both of my femurs. Needless to say… I’ve been through a lot. </p>

<p>I’m just posting here to get a public opinion on how I’m doing on my road to (hopefully), attend FSU. Although my primary goal is getting through high school without looking like a failure. So here’s some technical stuff for you guys. Feel free to grill me about anything, just don’t be too mean!</p>

<p>Freshman Year:
1. AP Human Geography (missed the exam because of illness)
2. Band 1
3. Algebra 1 Honors
4. Latin 1
5. Band 3
6. Biology 1 Honors
7. English 2 Honors</p>

<p>Sophomore Year:
1. Anatomy and Physiology Honors
2. Band 3
3. Chemistry 1
4. Latin 2
5. Geometry 1
6. English 3 Honors
7. Jazz Ensemble</p>

<p>Junior Year:
1. AP Music Theory
2. Jazz Ensemble
3. AP US History
4. Algebra 2 Honors
5. AP Literature
6. Health Sciences 2
7. Band 1</p>

<p>My cumulative GPA right now is 2.75 right now. Now, I assume it would be quite a bit higher if I hadn’t been operating for at least two years with a tumor growing in my head. BTW, I’m cancer free now, and doing a lot better in school. </p>

<p>My extra-curricular activities include:</p>

<p>Marching Band: (2006-Present)(Mellophone Section Leader)
Thespian Club: (2011-Present)(Vice President)
HOSA: (2012-Present)</p>

<p>I think that’s all I’ve got right now. I’m really sorry for the long post, but I could use some advice. Thank you. :)</p>

2

<p>bump… anything is appreciated.</p>

3

<p>Considering your situation, you are doing well. Just keep doing well in school and continue to participate in the activities which you truly enjoy. You didn’t talk about SATs, but assuming that you haven’t taken them, I would suggest that you should get ready to take them. As for applying to FSU, if they give you the opportunity to talk about yourself, you should definitely talk about your situation and explain the low grades. </p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

4

<p>Thanks. Yeah I haven’t taken the SAT or ACT or anything like that. I’m planning to take both of those tests for the first time this winter. I’m just trying to make the best of what I have after going through a mortal struggle with the administration of my school. They haven’t made anything easy for me…</p>

5

<p>You have a very rigorous and impressive schedule so my guess is that FSU would be able to reevaluate the low GPA considering the classes you’ve taken and your illness. I think you can do it. If you could get around a 4.0 for senior year you’d have a great shot. Keep in mind, assuming your 2.75 is unweighted, your GPA may look a lot different to FSU admissions as I’m sure they have their own weighting scale. I also think you have the potential to write an extremely compelling essay that could once again compensate for the low GPA… and of course high SAT/ACT scores can change everything! Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Thank you! I’ve already started studying for the SAT (practice question a day every day for over a year), so if I keep on that track I should be able to do pretty well on the SAT. I don’t know as much about the ACT, but I’m sure I can do well on it. </p>

<p>As for the essay portion… I’m pretty good at writing as is, so I don’t see any trouble with that. My GPA will be going up as well (hopefully), because of my schedule.</p>