The problem is, I have been dealing with chronic health issues pretty much the entirety of 11th grade. This has affected my ability to attend class, complete work, concentrate, etc. I have a 504 plan, but I miss so much school that even accomodations don’t help much.
Because I essentially never attend class, my teachers pretty much know me as someone who turns stuff in late (even though it’s excused), does well on assignments, but they don’t know me as a person.
I’m scared my recommendation letters will be weak. I don’t want this to be the thing holding me back from getting into top schools like MIT, Caltech, Berkeley, etc. I feel like I have a genuine shot because my ECs and awards are strong, but never showing up to school and having zero relationship with my teachers is a bad look. I plan to discuss my health situation in my college application, but I’m scared my teachers will either refuse to write letters, or they’ll be very weak/neutral at best.
Can I fix this, or am I doomed to weak LORs? Please please please give any advice, I really need it.
Have you been having consistent email conversations with your teachers. In other words, how are you getting course feedback?
What kind of daily dialogue have you had with these staff members?
Our son attended Caltech. Caltech is a research institution; it’s not a typical university setting. It’s for students that can be independent, memorize large amounts of information, and apply it immediately through submitted assignments.
Similarly, Berkeley and MIT are schools where the students are driven. The work comes out like a fire hose. You can spend five hours on a simple one-question math problem.
Will your health affect your ability to turn in assignments on time?
At schools on this level, your ECs and awards won’t be utilized in your coursework.
Is there a reason why you can’t arrange to have some zoom sessions with your teachers and guidance counselor?
LOR’s are really important. Character is the only category that MIT lists as Very Important on the Common Data Set. Stanford also considers character as Very Important. Google Common Data Sets and go to section C7.
I am not trying to freak you out. Probably the best way colleges assess character is through LOR’s. So make an effort to get to know your teachers. Also, create a realistic list of colleges. Even with great LOR, you still have no guarantees of anything at top colleges.
Because of your health, colleges might be wary of admitting you. I am not trying to scare you. Colleges want to admit people they are sure will be able to remain at the college. In your situation, I would ensure that you use the additional information section on the common app. Explain your health situation going forward, as in how you will be addressing it so that you don’t miss more class time. You definitely need your guidance counselor’s support for this. These situations can be seen negatively sometimes without the credibility of someone at your school addressing it.
But you really need to put your health first anyway. Maybe you should consider a gap year?
First, are your severe health issues in control well enough for you to go away to college? for you to handle the much faster pace of college work? for you to attend classes regularly? Your health should be at the forefront of every college decision.
Secondly, I agree that you need to reach out to teachers to develop stronger relationships – perhaps asking for zoom meetings when you cannot attend class, developing a system of regular email correspondence, etc.
Consider asking your guidance counselor to note your challenges in their LOR.
And as I tell every applicant, be sure to craft a well-balanced application list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend. If you would benefit by staying near your medical team, consider that as well.
It’s amazing they allowed you to keep up a 4.0 - so they must thinking something positive about you
There are far more colleges out there than you perceive as the top - and you could be a 4.0 with outstanding rigor and still get shut out - and you’d have no idea why
All you can do is try - and have affordable schools on your list with at least one, but preferably two that are assured, affordable and you’d like to attend.
You’re really not different than anyone who didn’t have these issues. Perhaps your counselor can address them but if you have great grades, ECs, and a test score - does it need to be addressed?
You really are in a position like anyone else. My daughter’s valedictorian had perfect GPA, 1 or 11 APs, 36 ACT and got turned down to the 16 of the top 20 she applied to. Got into NYU full pay - and went to UT Knoxville. There are students with your #s on every flagship campus in America.
Get your health right, take your shots - and you’ll land where you land. You will make your success more than any school.
I just read the other thread - I don’t see that you addressed budget (unless I missed it). Some of these schools are near $100K. Can your family afford that or have you filled out NPCs to see if you qualify for aid?
You mentioned Berkeley. Just as an FYI, the UCs don’t want LORs. (Neither do the Cal States). Unfortunately , they won’t look at your SAT scores either.
The OP hasn’t suffered academically - at least given the 4.0 - so that’s actually in their favor (I think).
Not sure of the budget, etc. but U Arizona should 100% be on the list if studying physics - an easy in at one of the top Physics programs in the nation.
RPI could be another - these schools punch way above their overall weight…
Budget depending - but if the OP is OOS for UC, these will be less expensive.
Really, with no impact to the academics, they are not at a detriment - and I would hope/think teachers will not volunteer to write if they had nothing positive to say.
But they should not overlook the fact that with their profile that the schools they think are reasonable (and they might be) are still reaches.
And there are many fantastic physics programs out there - from LACs to large universities - and some are easier admits - but have worldwide respect.
I remember @UTmeritseeker having visited U Arizona and they were beyond impressed if I recall - which makes sense given it’s top flight caliber and recognition - and a status as a top PhD producr. And that would be safe.
Two thoughts: If your ECs are competitive for the schools you mention, admissions officers may wonder how you are able to continue doing them at a high level but not attend school.
Second, perhaps you could submit a LOR from a non-teacher, in addition to the ones from your teachers. Counselors usually advise against this because the focus is your academic work and admissions officers rarely have time to read another, often lukewarm, LOR. In your case, though, a LOR from someone who does know you personally, has seen your intellectual curiosity, and has seen you in person could have a meaningful difference.
For highly selective schools, LOR will make a difference. As you can imagine, nearly all applicants to the schools you mentioned will have similarly impressive SATs, grades, rigor, and ECS. Your essays and LOR will be important.
College is challenging on many levels, but the piece that is hard to predict is the 24/7 nature of it all. You’re living on your own. Any medical intervention you need will happen because YOU pick up the phone, call student health, make an appointment, get yourself there on time. Any prescription is one you wait in line for and pick up. Getting adequate rest, eating well, etc.– all on you. Doctor wants labs done- you’ve got to get yourself over there by 8 am or whenever the tech says to show up- and then a full day of classes with no time for lunch.
And while this is happening, you’re going to classes, going to the lab or library, attending review sessions, writing papers, doing laundry and calling the housing office when the lights in your dorm room flicker on and off and you can’t figure out what’s wrong, etc.
I’d be more focused on making sure that you’re healthy before heading off to college- any college, than worrying about your teacher recommendations which you can’t do anything about. They’re going to write what they write.
Gap year? Attending college close to home to keep your medical team intact?
Think carefully as to whether or not you should discuss your health issues in your college application. How do you want to portray yourself to college admissions officers ? In light of your perfect GPA, what do you intend to accomplish by discussing your health issues in your college applications ?
Wouldn’t it be better to inform potential references of the situation regarding your health issues ?
Are you still missing most classes? If so, what makes you think you will be able to attend most of your college classes? Very often, attendance is part of your grade.
Have you considered online college until your health issues are fully resolved.
Chronic health issues can be very challenging at college, however, help is there if you need it. Colleges have support structures in place to help you through their disability and accommodation office. As long as you have clear documentation in place from your doctors, accommodations can be made for example for single room/own bathroom, priority registration so that you can arrange your classes around doctors appointments, labs etc, extra time on tests, and even excused absence policies if needed.
Regardless of gap year or not, reach out to your teachers re the LOR’s, maybe it will help to put your mind at rest. I hope you can spend the summer focusing on your health without any stress or worry.
My kid was in a similar situation in the last year of high school. The guidance counselor should write about the fact that you were out for health reasons but still achieved a 4.0.
It does sound like your school is accommodating you. Our school had each teacher send home what was done in class, homework, tests etc.
Kid did fine with admissions. Once on campus at a demanding school, they had accommodations but also took two medical leaves. It all worked out and they are thriving 10 years later.
There is a free essay service here on CC. Personally, I would let the guidance counselor handle info on your health (and achievements despite the health issues) and write about something else in your essays. You can also use the “additional info” section to write very briefly about your health issue (like 3 sentences) and how you have recovered or manage. But only if the counselor does not do a good job indicating your readiness- if you are indeed ready.
Chronic illness is a disability that merits accommodation. It does not necessarily get better. If your health issues are chronic, it makes sense to forge ahead and not wait for it to improve. Reduced course load along with the usual accommodations can be really helpful.
OP can, of course, ask the teachers and counselors not to say anything. There could be problems associated with not providing any information about the health issues. Primarily, I can’t imagine two teachers and the guidance counselor discussing this student without saying anything about them rarely being at school. It is hard to imagine a recommendation that doesn’t at the very least say something akin to “despite having only met Susan in person twice, she is a diligent student and keeps up with the course work.”
It is certainly going to be difficult for a teacher to address how this student interacts with others, which is likely to factor into a good rec. As the OP is considering highly selective colleges, that might raise a red flag.
Secondly, there will possibly be something on the transcript or in the guidance counselors recommendation about excessive absences, even if they were excused. A college might wonder why there were many absences.
Not saying anything seems risky because adcoms might feel something is off. Of course, the guidance counselor and teachers are all aware of the OP’s circumstances. OP needs to discuss a plan of action with the GC.
The guidance counselor should briefly address the OP’s absences due to a health issue. However, we do not know the specifics as to whether the health issue will be ongoing (chronic) or is likely to be resolved.
OP has too many outstanding accomplishments & abilities to reduce her application to a focus on a health issue. She needs to avoid portraying herself in a negative light and should focus on her positives. The goal of a college application is to get admitted, not to generate sympathy.
Her perfect GPA and her EC accomplishments show that OP’s medical condition has not interfered with her ability to succeed, therefore, what would be the point in focusing on the health issues ?
In the OP’s other thread, she is uncertain as to why she was rejected from two different summer programs despite stellar qualifications; this makes me wonder whether she discussed her health issue in those applications.
If special accommodations are needed, it would be better for OP to raise that issue after being given an acceptance offer, not before.
P.S. This is a college application issue that is commonly discussed by private college counselors and their guidance is easy found online. In short, address a health issue very briefly, if at all, and frame it in a positive fashion such as a motivating factor or as related to a specific accomplishment, not as a plea for pity. Based on the limited information shared by OP in this thread, including a perfect GPA & stellar ECs, maybe the advice of a former US President to a rogue nation is appropriate: “Don’t”.