What should I do
So in my freshman year of high school right before, thanksgiving I had to go to a Boystown like program for purely at home reasons. In February, after school, I was talking to a teacher when I (on the spectrum) got angry and nudged past a teacher. After confronted with the punishment (essentially a loss of privileges for a week) I only worsened it. My actions were seen as an act of aggression. I was forced out of the program and had to go to an acclimating program and "graduated" that without incident in May. For the next school year I went back to my public school and by graduation will have taken 15 AP/Honor Classes with currently a 3.84 unweighted GPA. I have had no other incidents since then. I also have 6 tier F activities with 2 J and one D. As I'm currently filling out the CommonApp I need advice on how to express the one-time event so I can hopefully get into top 50 schools like UMinn-TC, UIowa, Neb-Lincoln all of which show me on the chancing calculator with an 85% chance.
I know I can't hide it but since only 1.5 semesters were spent at the Boystown like program and I have no ties to it currently and my public school counselor only knows of it through 3rd hand sources I don't know what to do.
Thanks for the help!
Earn karma by helping others:
2 answers
There are a couple of options here for you. As @Sck20000 said, you could definitely write your Common App essay about your experiences, though you may not want to do that if you have other compelling talents, hobbies, etc. that you'd want to showcase instead. It could definitely make for a strong essay, but you could definitely choose something else.
Your other option is to write about it in your Additional Information section, which is also part of the Common App. That's not meant to be another essay; instead, it's supposed to be a place where students can discuss in a direct and straightforward manner any special circumstances or conditions that might not be reflected elsewhere in their application. If you discuss it there, I would just outline what happened, what led to it, and how you learned from and grew from the experience. That kind of growth and understanding is what colleges will typically look for in situations like these.
Hi! I'm so sorry that chain of event turned out that way:( It seems like you have strong stats and extracurriculars! If you wanna talk about the event I would suggest putting it in your essays. You can write about how you're on the spectrum in your common app essay, since it gives you an opportunity to show how you're unique, and also shows how you have experienced conflicts as a result of it, and how you learned from those conflicts. In the common app essay(if that's the essay you want to write about it in), you can use the first prompt (Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.). Here you can talk about how you're on the spectrum. Or you can use the second prompt (The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?). Here you can talk specifically about the incident.
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!