Some x-post with collegemom3717
I don’t have an issue with you applying, especially for the reasons you state. (I had this decision, chose not to apply, and yes, regret not at least getting the skinny envelope.)
As for the ECs. The issue is that somehow, your grades slipped. That cold reality. It’s about impressions that form. And THEY may be assuming it was an issue of priorities. You can’t control for that. Especially not in a competitive situation, where lots of fully solid kids apply and more are rejected than admitted.
And another consideration, sorry about this. A business and/or coding projects are surprisingly common. Or common enough that they’re not a special “it.” The coding is usually done solo- and there they are, looking for kids who engage with others, who collaborate. Even if you say, well, I have a mentor, there are a few others who work with me, anyone runs the risk it will be perceived as independent work.
Kids often think the amount they earn from a business is a plus. The colleges don’t look at it that way. That’s assuming the dollars (or more dollars than expected) are some tip. It just doesn’t factor that way.
So, you have a cautious walk ahead of you. Do your best to think this through, have something of a strategy, based on what you do learn about your targets and what they value- from them, their web sites and other, not what 3rd parties say. Dig deep. And remember, no strategy is effective without some better understanding. It’s not random. Not any sort of wishful thinking.
The backstory: what’s impressive is the kid who endured something and still managed rigor and the grades/scores, including through the crisis. Then, any single freshman problem (say that blasted C grade in some core,) can be put into perspective.
It matters what classes got the lower grades- and how low. Those related to your potential major can be a different issue than some elective or drivers ed. Adcoms at Top 50 will be looking at the transcript, see the specific record of rigor and grades. They focus less on the cumulative gpa. If you have a copy of the transcript, you can try to view it as they will.
See why we say you need a different way of loooking at all this? And some strategy