Wait a Year or go to lesser choice?

Chance Me / Match Me
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<p>Ok, so here’s my problem (sorry that this is so long)</p>

<p>when I was a sophomore I had severe pneumonia and had to go on home bound for a month. My junior year I was in the hospital for a week and a half and missed about two months of school. My family moved abroad this year and I became seriously ill with the same chronic illness i had my junior year and had to go to a neighboring country for medical care….missed a quarter of the school year, and had to withdraw because the American School here couldn’t accommodate my homebound needs. my illness is now under control, but by the time it was i’d missed so much school I had to withdraw from the high school.</p>

<p>Not only that, but my guidance counselor refused to send transcripts to colleges or write recs because I’d withdrawn from the school. AKA, since we weren’t paying 15K per year they wouldn’t do squat.</p>

<p>This made me miss my deadline for William and Mary (my match school) and Berkeley. </p>

<p>But I was able to apply to Georgetown, GWU, U. of South Carolina (home state school), and NYU Stern with the help of the guidance counselor from my old school…and later from another correspondence school I enrolled in (i really wanted to finish high school). I actually applied to Georgetown without a guidance counselor because I wanted to go so badly, and I was hoping that things would be reconciled when I enrolled in the correspondence school.</p>

<p>Before I got sick I was valedictorian of the high school here, editor in chief of the school newspaper, in MUN, Habitat for Humanity, and taking four AP’s.</p>

<p>At my high school back home I was apart of the National’s MUN Team, on the editorial board for newspaper, Sec. of Youth in Politics, VP of the Dead Poets Society, Leo Club, NHS, Latin Club, Founder of an Outreach Chamber group, Crew, and I was participating 8 hours a week in karate. I was a Junior Marshall too in the top 15% of my class in two magnet programs (one for liberal arts the other for writing)….it was a big step for me to leave and live abroad with my family my senior year.</p>

<p>In January I also got an internship at the U.S. Consulate here (we don’t have an embassy near-bye). I love this internship, and it fostered an even greater desire to go to SFS at Georgetown…</p>

<p>My guidance counselor suggested I redo my senior year, however, I really wanted to forge ahead….I didn’t want to let an illness keep me from going on with my life
And at the same time I felt really cheated by the school system here
Aside from refusing to help me when I was ill,
They wouldn’t even let me continue to visit students on campus…and this is really hard as in a foreign country the school here was my only link to kids my age from my country.</p>

<p>I got into my home-state school at South Carolina on a nearly full scholarship (I only have to pay $1,000 per year if I go there) and I got into the honor’s college and a 5 yr undergraduate MIB program….and I just got my acceptance to GWU’s school of business.
I’m still waiting on NYU Stern, but I was recently rejected by SFS Georgetown. Well, I was wait-listed, but the guy who talked to me was kind enough to tell me that there was little chance that I’d get in off the waitlist, he suggested waiting a year and enjoying where I am or transferring.</p>

<p>I’m really devastated by my rejection at Georgetown. I could still go back and enroll in high school and have the senior year I missed out on, but I really want to go ahead at the same time…and I do have a wonderful internship here.</p>

<p>GWU is also very expensive…40K per year or so including everything…and it wasn’t even on my radar screen until I got sick and had to withdraw from school (although I’m beginning to really like the school the more I get to know it…and I recently met business proff. who was traveling where i live )</p>

<p>Someone suggested that I appeal to Gtown, but I don’t know anything about that. Maybe I should just go to GWU (although I’m still waiting on NYU).</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

<p>My stats, other than the extra curricular activities that I stated, are as follows</p>

<p>SAT Verb- 710
Math (my weak point)-650
SATII- Writing 710
History-690
GPA-4.7 (not sure what it is un-weighted)
Top 15% of class back home (In very competitive magnet program)
Top in Class here before I withdrew
Rudy Manke Award for Science
Discovery Young Scientist Challenge National Semi-Finalist
Published through local state university
5 AP courses completed with 4s and 5s on all but Latin (US Hist, Euro Hist, Latin, Psych, English Comp)
currently studying AP Econ Macro and Micro, Gov’t, and English Lit. (4 total)</p>

<p>my grades were hurt a bit by my illness, but frankly I’m proud that I was able to pull them up so much while being so sick. I’ve always had a weak spot in math (as you can see from my SAT score)</p>

<p>what are my chances if i wait a year? transfer? defer? what should i do?</p>

<p>will X-post to georgetown thread</p>

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<p>'allo? anyone there?</p>

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<p>Well, your circumstances truly are out of the ordinary. I would contact Georgetown again. Could you try Georgetown as a liberal arts student and then transfer into SFS later? Sounds like you’ve had a lot of bad luck. I would try to hang on to the internship. You enjoy it, it’s working out, and it will be great ammunition to use for reapplying, transfering, etc.</p>

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<p>hey thanks for the reply. i’ll probably call georgetown friday after calling NYU.
do you think that if i appeal i’ll come off as obnoxious? will it hurt my chances if i appeal, dont get in, and then try to transfer?
i’m beginning to realize georgetown isn’t the end all, be all of the world…but it was literally my dream school.</p>

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<p>I dont think its bad to appeal, or even ask if there is room in the college.</p>

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<p>You might want to post on the Parents Forum. I have the sense that Georgetown SFS is extremely competitive, I wonder if your test scores are competitive for SFS as they stand.
Questions that come to mind to me - do you need to bring up those scores to be truly competitive for SFS, would they even tell you that? If so, I would consider repeating your senior year.
The other big question that occurs to me is your illness under control? If there is a good likelihood for relapse, perhaps you should consider which school would be the most flexible, probably USC, in terms of taking reduced courseloads, perhaps classes at odd times to allow for doctor visits etc. What is your adult support system in the States? If I was your parent, I would encourage you to stay close to relatives, oin case you get sick again, looking at transferring in a year or so if your conditions stabilizes.
Post on Parents Forum.</p>

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<p>thanks will post there as well. My family will be in China while i’m in the states :frowning:
luckily for me though my health is (for the most part…i have my bad days but they’re not so often) under control…modern science and medical development are amazing :-)</p>

<p>i do have to admit that i live with the risk that my situation can come back very easily…i have to regulate my diet carefully and i can NEVER miss medication… blah</p>