String of deferrals

Neilson
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 20:31:02 +0000

Unfortunately like many High School students I fell into the trap of having a subpar GPA combined with above average standardized test scores and it is having an effect on my admissions.
As soon as I received my first rejection I sensed a bad omen although I simply ignored the bad feeling as it was technically a reach for me. Unfortunately that rejection was met by a deferral from another reach, a rejection from a realistic and 2 more deferrals from realistic.

I always knew my GPA would present an issue I just sort of hoped that perhaps college admissions would be able to look over it. Now this sounds rather ignorant, but I actually do have a pretty decent explanation. Since Freshman year a family member consistently raved about how she had ADD and consistently tried to talk me into seeing a neurologist. Due to my own personal beliefs I decided not to up until my Junior year. It was then that I realized that all the effort I put into preforming well in a class I truly enjoyed was had not produced adequate results (I got a C first semester, withdrew while passing second semester, took the AP Exam and managed to get a 4 with the help of a tutor.) Against my wishes my parents decided to take me to a neurologist and get me diagnosed with ADD and surprise surprise I had it. It wasn’t a simple pill mill either I had to get an EEG, take some test and my scores matched someone with those qualities. I sort of expected to really see no change in my performance but I was dead wrong. The beginning of my senior year my scores sky rocketed, classes that had been harder than previous years seemed significantly easier and it shows in transcript.

I debated whether or not, in regards to my applications, I wrote an explanation that correlated with my ADD because I truly do believe that it took some part in my performance early in high school. I decided against it as I thought it was a very common excuse. Then I received my deferrals and rejections. Around this time I met with my guidance counselor and told her about one of my rejections who was absolutely flabbergasted at the fact that I had been denied from a certain school. She called the admissions representative to my state and said that everything was fine except that my scores did not commensurate my GPA. I then decided to include a small explanation in the additional information section for three of my regular decision schools. My confidence that it would work was not at an all time high but I received some news that is truly making me desperate. I was deferred from another school in which I was significantly above their profile GPA, their profile SAT Scores and profile ACT scores as Naviance delineated to me. Which brings me here today, I already submitted my last round of schools with the blurb. I was always planning on writing letters to the schools that I had been deferred from explaining that I am still very interested in hopes that I wouldn’t simply be tossed aside in the regular decision pool as an uninterested applicant. So my question to you lovely people of college confidential: Will colleges take my claim that ADD held me back for the first 3 years of High School with a grain of salt? Will they take it seriously? If I have evidence of the improvement of my scores, and the improvement of my grades based on performance before and after I was put on the medication will that increase the chances of a college looking upon my application favorably given its shortcomings? Is it worth it to send it to send my explanation to the colleges I have been deferred? Or even colleges that have yet to announce their decisions?
I have been accepted into two universities so its not as if this is going to make the difference in regards to me going to college at all, but the schools I have been accepted weren’t exactly my number one choices.

tl;dr Low (but not terrible) GPA, high scores. Diagnosed with ADD late into High School. Vast improvement in both scores and GPA after being prescribed medication. Really need some advice and some perspective. Questions that summarize what I need retyped below.

Will colleges take my claim that ADD held me back for the first 3 years of High School with a grain of salt? Will they take it seriously? If I have evidence of the improvement of my scores, and the improvement of my grades based on performance before and after I was put on the medication will that increase the chances of a college looking upon my application favorably given its shortcomings? Is it worth it to send it to send my explanation to the colleges I have been deferred, or even colleges that have yet to announce their decisions?