I’m an international student and I got into UCLA from the waitlist and I am so happy. But I feel like I completely bombed my IB exams. I am predicted a 42, my senior grades are good and didn’t drop. But I feel like i did horribly on IB exams and will most likely not get even a 34… during the exams I had horrible migraines and could barely even see through my right eye because of migraine aura. I almost passed out once. I have been having migraines since I was 12 but during senior year I had like 3 a week. I am afraid that if my grades drop I will get rescinded. I’m not sure if I should commit to UCLA or stay with the college I have committed to (its a small, not very well known college). Would UCLA listen to my reasoning at all? What should I do?
(I posted this in reddit, but wanted to post it here too because you guys always give such great advice and I just want to ask as many people as I can about this situation).
Did the UCLA admission offer include any conditions regarding your IB exam scores?
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yes, they gave me an admissions contract which i assume they give to everyone, which states: "* Predicted Exam Results reported on the application: Predictions were used in review of your application. You are expected to meet the predictions you reported.
- Predicted Exam Results not reported on the application: Students are expected to meet the following criteria:
- IBDP - You must receive 5 or higher in each exam and have minimum of 38+ points out of 42."
The only ones who would know would be the admissions team at UCLA. Would you be willing to contact them?
If you have a medical history of migraines, they may want medical records of your history with migraines.
How will you treat your migraines when you begin your university experience? Is there a trigger? Lack of sleep, anxiety?
If they are not somewhat under medical control, how will you deal with them while in college?
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I would be willing to contact them. And I have an official diagnosis, doctors prescriptions and MRIs done because I had sever episodes.
I thought I had them under control, but they became more severe due to stress. I was offered antidepressants (apparently they help with migraines?) about a year ago, however since I used ibuprofen 600 mg and it helped i decided that I shouldn’t go on such meds. I will get a prescription to prevent migraines since I ibuprofen no longer seems to help.
edit - i will get the antidepressant prescription for my migraines since they are proactive in preventing them and should ensure less to none episodes.
UCLA has undergraduate clinical services. Have they asked you yet about your medical insurance paperwork?
Our children had to submit their recent physicals to the nursing staffs at their colleges along with their insurance coverages. They attended very different schools but staff asked for their records as part of their entry package.
UCLA has a ton of clinics but you need to find out if you can submit your records and speak to the nursing staff for a review.
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Thank you so much for the advice. I haven’t accepted their offer yet because I am enrolled at another uni so I didn’t submit any medical paperwork. I didn’t accept simply because of the fact that I am terrified they will only look at my external Ib exams and see that i did not do as well as I was predicted even though i finished my senior year with really good grades. So I’m scared to accept and dump my safe university because if I am rescinded by UCLA in the middle of summer I won’t be able to go to any college.
do you think i should reach out to UCLA admissions office about this, or counselors? They said I shouldn’t report anything hypothetical and since i dont have my IB exam scores I can’t say that I truly did bad on them. But should I inform them of the migraines now?
I agree with this. You’re panicking over the unknown. Some think they bomb and do great and others think they kill it - and they stink up the room. It’s so hard to know.
It’s “convenient” to come with a reason if the score isn’t good, but then why didn’t you before? You committed elsewhere but for any school that was in consideration, they should have gotten the same info about you.
So brining up a condition now is not a good look and likely premature. I’m not doubting your condition but it’s how it looks.
They said - you need a score before taking action - and that seems appropriate to me.
Good luck.
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘why didn’t you before’? The school that I committed to was aware of the fact that I have migraines and that it might impact my exam performance, however, it is not very competitive and I was given an unconditional offer.
This is really the answer. It’s pointless to worry about this until you actually receive scores. So no, don’t try to “explain” before you have scores.
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During the app time, I’d think you’d have informed all schools - is all I’m saying.
Sounds like worst case, UCLA or the other, you have a school to attend that you’re excited about.
So it’s all good either way.
You could ask their team of medical experts who review the incoming freshmen records, and ask about your incoming care, and then mention your concerns about your recent migraines during your testing.
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Looks like the OP needs to take some action soon – decide whether to switch matriculation to UCLA after getting the waitlist admission, but the OP believes that there is a significant risk of rescission if they do that.
The implied assumption is that the currently matriculated-to school would not rescind – perhaps the OP @Flatrestaurant can clarify?
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You need to contact their medical team, explaining you’ve been admitted, to understand what accomodations would be offered. This will give you an idea of the way it’s considered.
With this type of migraine, you may be unable to sit or stand up or move, you may pass out, you may lose part of your vision or go blind in an eye. So obviously managing an exam would be out of the question.
Btw no you didn’t have to provide private medical information in your application, in fact it is discouraged beyond “I have an illness that can be debilitating”.
Key questions :
Is your admission conditional (beside the typical ‘no D no F no cheating no crime’)?
Do they give you an exact point number to reach rather than just “graduating with IB”?
My understanding is that your score won’t affect graduation (ie., a 32+ is very good but even lower than that 24+ and you’re good for graduation).
What’s your deadline at UCLA?
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Yes, my current school only needs me to only graduate high school. They do not even have conditions for me to get the IB diploma (which is different than graduating, even if i do not get the ib diploma, i can still graduate if i have enough credits at my school).
They say that ‘ Your admission to UCLA is subject to cancellation, if: i do not meet all of the requirements listed in this contract’ and they list a bunch of reasons. They say that i should maintain my internal school class performance (as in not have more than 2 C’s in my transcript) and then they go on to mention that I should maintain my external exam performance if applicable (which it is). They say that i should meet my 42 predicted grade or get no less than 5 in all of my exams and in total get 38+ points. They also say that i should have a valid secondary school leaving certificate.
ETA saw your reply.
5 in every exam is reachable even if you didn’t do well with your baseline at 42. 38 however is incredibly hard to achieve even in the best of circumstances.
So you will meet the HS performance criteria (no more than 2 Cs, HS graduation) but the 38 is in doubt.
What’s your deadline?
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Yes, exactly. I have to pay SIR until may 23rd or i lose my spot.
Is your current college in the US too (and what college is it - for all you know, it may not be as well known as UCLA in your country but it may be a superb college => if it is, no need to worry about your IB score. The condition you describe, ie., graduate HS, is the norm in the US so it’s impossible to guess from that requirement how good or not the college is.)
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