Yes, I have a 504, which allows me various accomodations. However, the sheer amount of class I miss means that I’m always struggling to catch up, resulting in a pile of overdue work at all times. I am just worried that my teachers will feel they don’t know me as a person, so even if they don’t have anything negative to say, they won’t have anything positive either (which is concerning to me, since the applicants I’m competing with for top schools will likely have glowing LORs).
I would discuss this with your 504 case manager.
I think you should stop worrying about your teachers. That is honestly the last thing to worry about. You don’t need more stress.
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Focus on your positives: Perfect GPA, outstanding SAT score, and exceptional ECs.
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I don’t know where you are getting the messaging that there is a competition here. I promise you that the world isn’t running out of education any time soon!
If your teachers don’t know you well- hey, that’s the way it is. They’ll write something positive about your grades, scores, ability to learn independently and that will be JUST FINE.
Hugs.
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My daughter was in a situation similar to yours to some extent – though she saw an upward trajectory a bit earlier on – and she was admitted to many fabulous schools. Here are some things she did:
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She used the “Challenges and Circumstances” section of the Common App to matter-of-factly describe the impact of her health conditions on her life. The point was not to share diagnoses or offer excuses, but to provide context without which the rest of her application really didn’t make sense: In her case, she was very aware of her limited extracurricular engagements, and wanted to provide an account to whoever might read her application.
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Here’s how she started: “During 9th and 10th grade, I dealt with health issues that affected my attendance and ability to participate in activities.” She didn’t list her symptoms but she described their impact: on attendance, participation, etc.
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Then, she spent most of that space detailing what she DID do: She rested. She tried different treatments. She communicated proactively with teachers and administrators. She engaged online. She focused on her own care.
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She closed that section with a short sentence about what she learned and how she would apply that learning in college. E.g. "In college, i will continue to manage my symptoms by prioritizing own care. "
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She was careful not to write an entire essay here: The vibe was straightforward and informational. Matter of fact. But she write in a way that emphasized her resilience and hard work. And the framing was very intentionally about windows that opened (not doors that closed.)
I think each person has to decide what sort of disclosure they are comfortable with. My daughter felt more comfortable disclosing than not: In her view, any schools with an admissions office that saw her application as less-than due to the challenges she’d faced wasn’t a good fit for her anyway.
For LORs, she was able to develop good relationships with a couple of teachers, but in any case: She wrote up extensive “brag sheets” – basically, Hi Teach, thank you so much for agreeing to write a college recommendation for me. To make your life easier, and to help provide some context for our classroom experiences, I’m attaching a resume and some notes about my high school experiences. Please let me know if you have any questions – I’d be glad to have a longer conversation etc etc etc."
In your case, I might do a “challenges and circumstances” draft and include it in your communications to your recommenders – along with mention of any concrete details or specifics from their classes or interactions with them that support, for example, what you say about fighting tooth and nail to keep your grades up.
Last thing, if there is something you think admissions might be confused about – e.g. how you did high level ECs but seem not to have as strong LORs – I suggest addressing it directly. Nobody has time to try to puzzle things out; they’ll just move on to the next application. It’s your job to make it make sense. My vote is to put yourself in the driver’s seat and steer into the skids 
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As I understand the OP’s situation, her health concern is ongoing and it is not clear as to whether or not she can/will attend classes on a regular basis; this raises much different concerns in the eyes of admissions officers than does a how I overcame an illness scenario.
Also, in OP’s situation, it would be tough to assert that I could have done better or done more in light of her perfect GPA and stellar EC accomplishments.
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However, colleges generally want students who will engage in class, so that may be something to address (assuming that it will be viable in college).
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My daughter’s health concerns are ongoing, as well. But there’s been a lot of progress that’s allowed her to “learn to live with them,” so – I definitely understand flagging that wrt to OP, whose situation is obviously different in certain critical respects (and still similar in others.)
I also understand that not everyone shares this perspective, but I agree with my daughter that any school that was put off by her abysmal attendance record or health issues would not be the right fit for her anyway. She wanted her application to reflect her truth – who she was and had been in high school – in a way that highlighted her strengths and accomplishments.
Personally, I find “all this with one hand tied behind my back” narratives compelling. For me the question for all applicants is is how to share high school experiences in a way that highlights what they bring to this table. In this case, high GPA and ECs are part of the story – but also this is a person who “fought tooth and nail” under challenging circumstances – so I’d want to shine a light on that, and context is needed to do so.
I do agree that “I could have done better and more” is not a strong case to make: If my grandmother had wheelssss… Who cares?
But I like “here is what I did, and under these circumstances” a lot.
As for the question of whether you will attend classes on a regular basis, that might suggest something else worth highlighting: OP, you mentioned something about the school environment that made attendance difficult. Is this something that might not be a major factor in college? If so, I would name that explicitly. E.g. “I was not able to attend high school classes regularly due to the persistent toxic fumes there. In college, I am looking forward to a nontoxic environment where I will contribute fully to classroom communities” or whatever blah blah."
The point is, if there is some material difference between high school and college that will likely impact your ability to attend, I’d say so.
Anyway, this might not be the best approach for everyone. It’s probably on the higher-risk end of the spectrum and I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who is risk averse about college admissions.
For my daughter, however, speaking confidently about the experiences that made a significant impact on her high school years felt important – not just from an admissions perspective, but from a personal one: She did do all that even with a chronic, disruptive, challenging health condition – and writing about what she did, and under what circumstances, has helped her celebrate her accomplishments.
YMMV!
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PS. OP, here is the real flex:
Think about the challenges you have faced and are continuing to face. Now, think about other people in similar circumstances: What have you learned that might help them, too? How can you help other students who are facing similar health challenges or educational constraints or personal experiences? Are there organizations, programs, research, or institutions that are doing work to support people who go through something like what you’ve gone through? How can you contribute to those? What can you do to help?
Do something to help – that benefits you and people facing similar challenges – and make it real. And write about it.
It will probably help you get into a college you’re excited to attend. But more to the point, if you take your experience – say, how to get a 4.0 in high school when you can’t even attend; or supporting students with chronic health challenges – and share what you’ve learned or otherwise use it to help others, that will probably help you live a life you are excited to live. 
Go get 'em, OP! Rooting you on.
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Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it. I think my health story, although it doesn’t define me, is a big part of who I am as a student/person. If I frame it right and don’t make it a pity-party, I think including brief health context will be extremely useful (also, as you mentioned, for weeding out colleges I wouldn’t want to attend anyway).
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Hello, this is OP again. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for the advice. I was wondering if anyone might be willing to give feedback on a LOR request I’m planning to send my teacher before the end of the school year? I realize this is a lot to ask so I will just copy and paste the letter and if anyone wants to critique it, I’d be eternally grateful 
Subject: Letter of recommendation request + thank you
Hello [teacher name],
I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to thank you for a great AP Comparative Government course this year. I really enjoyed the format of the class and had a lot of fun with the policy paper and final project.
I’m planning to apply to colleges this fall, and I was wondering if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation. I know my attendance this year has been limited due to chronic health challenges, and I’m concerned that this might make it harder for you to write a strong letter. I want to assure you that I truly valued this class and put a lot of effort into my learning despite sporadic attendance.
To make the process easier, I would be happy to share any materials about my work and goals. For example, highlights of my work in class, a brief summary of my health context, and/or a resume with my extracurricular activities and awards.
I am making steady progress with my health, and since I’ll be taking AP US Government next year, I’m looking forward to being more participative in class and giving you a better sense of who I am as a student before applications are due.
Please let me know if you would be comfortable writing a strong letter of recommendation. I completely understand if this isn’t possible, but if it is, I’d really appreciate the chance to discuss my goals and the story I hope the letter can convey.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
[my name]
questions: should I ask for stuff to do over the summer to sort of make up for below-average engagement during the school year? Should I ask for extra credit? Should I mention my counselor (who’s been very aware of my health stuff) and loop him in? This letter is really important to me and the teacher is super kind, but I don’t want him to feel like he has nothing good to say.
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My opinion…the letter is too long. Yes, it has a lot of info but can the length be reduced?
Ask your guidance counselor if your school utilizes brag sheets. My D had to provide one to her counselor and the teachers she was asking to write her LORs. It was essentially a summary of her academic goals in college but also a summary of her ECs. It might be especially helpful for you to include one.
I agree that your letter is too long but I think it makes good sense to ask if they can write a strong letter or not.
If your school doesn’t use one, the common app has a free PDF version https://www.commonapp.org/static/7bc36ad35601e024c5ba48dcef1292e2/Resource_FY_TeacherBragSheet_ENG_2025.06.25_1.pdf
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That’s so true.
Going back to OP’s reason for posting, it might make you feel more in control of your destiny if you at least try reaching out, perhaps to one or two teachers that teach what most interests you.
I know you say that your school is mediocre, but I have a hard time imagining any teacher will be put off by a student asking to meet with them face to face via zoom, even just for a 10 minute chat. I am guessing they don’t all take two weeks to respond, and I am pretty sure they aren’t all ignoring emails. Teachers usually love it when a student makes an effort to communicate with them.
I know you plan to reach out to your GC. You can ask them which teachers are most amenable to writing recs. Your email could be super brief: “Hi Mrs. Jones, this is Carrie Miller. I realize we haven’t had many opportunities to meet this school year due to my health issues. I was wondering if you could spare 10 minutes after school to meet on Zoom. I have really enjoyed your class and would like to ask you some questions in preparation for finals/wanted your opinion on what I could write about for my final paper, etc… I am also wondering if you would consider writing me a recommendation.” CC your guidance counselor on the email.
I wish you good luck. Do remember though that the goal is college, full stop. You will definitely find a college to attend.
Edit, just saw your post and I do think the email you wrote is too long.
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OP, I wouldn’t go there with a teacher. For all you know, you are NOT the only student with issues. You may be the only student with issues who also has a strong academic record– so don’t muddy the water here. You may have a classmate who missed the last month of class because she’s just had a baby. You may have a classmate who had to emancipate himself due to an abusive situation at home, and between court hearings and social worker meetings, his attendance was erratic.
Teachers deal with all sorts of things. Lead with your strengths- you loved the class, are looking forward to senior year, you’d be happy to provide a summary of “all about me” to make it easier to write a strong recommendation.
My parents were teachers. You cannot imagine the “stuff” that students deal with. Teachers want to help (indeed, they also meet with social workers, court appointed guardians) and if you really haven’t been in class but still are a strong performer, the teacher likely is aware that you got a medical waiver on school attendance.
Lead with your strengths. And stop worrying about this- I think you have enough on your plate without adding this to the pile. There will be a college that wants you and they’ll be lucky to have you. And if you get rejected from your top choices I’m ready to bet you dinner that it will have NOTHING to do with your LOR’s!
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No.
No.
Maybe. However, it might be better to let your guidance counselor be aware of the teachers that you are contacting for a letter of recommendation.
Although your proposed letter of recommendation request is well-written, it is self-defeating in that you repeatedly inform the teacher that he/she is not qualified to write a strong letter of recommendation for you. Perhaps this is the reason why other posters regard your written request as being too long.
Revise the letter of recommendation request so that it is more positive and more concise.
Consider adding a “brag sheet” resume so that the recipient will know more about you and your outstanding accomplishments academically and otherwise. Do not include any reference to health issues in the brag sheet resume.
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As a first revision of your request for a letter of recommendation, please consider the following suggestions:
Keep the first two of the five paragraph letter in their present form.
Change paragraphs three, four, and five to:
To make the process easier, I have attached a brief resume noting my 4.0 GPA , 1540 SAT score, and extracurricular accomplishments and awards.
I am making steady progress with my health and I look forward to seeing you in class next year for AP US Government.
Please let me know if you are comfortable writing a strong letter of recommendation.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
OP: The above suggestions are for your consideration and review. The goal is to be positive in a more concise fashion.
I’m planning to apply to colleges this fall, and I was wondering if you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation. Although my in-person attendance this year has been limited due to chronic health challenges, I have participated fully in the AP Comparative Government class. worked hard, and learned a lot.
If helpful, I am attaching a brief resume with details of my studies, activities, interests and goals. I could also meet with you on Zoom since I have not been in the classroom.
I am making steady progress with my health, and look forward to participating in your AP U.S. Government class in the fall. I hope to be in the classroom and engage directly with you and my classmates.
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Although my in-person attendance this year has been limited due to chronic health challenges, I have participated fully in the AP Comparative Government class. worked hard, and learned a lot.
I would changed this to:
Although my in-person attendance this year has been limited due to chronic health challenges, I’ve really enjoyed participating, working hard, and learning a lot in our AP Comparative Government class.
This sounds a bit more earnest to me.
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