For admissions, how do I explain I had a bad junior year but am/will pick it up by senior year?

[lolkeinthatsghey]

Summing up things, did perfectly fine living with my poor life until a lot hit me this year (already poor to really poor, stress of little money for my siblings [4 of them] to also go to college, etc) 

I could only join 1 club last year as a junior due to money problems and will be joining another club next year and that's it. Also, because of the mountain of stress occupying my brain 24/7, I had a really rump year with my grades (made a 4 on Chem SL, but I will work very hard for other ib subjects next year). 

I know it seems like a bunch of excuses, but my mind just couldn't really cope with it until now. I'm worried that my universities of choice will not like how I handled the situation, and won't know how I will handle everything in my senior year (as they primarily look at junior year) when I will recover from everything.

How do I make sure to explain why I had a rump in my junior year? Or explain to them I only have 1 extra curricular? Should I not even apply to my university goals and aim for a bit lower?

Universitiy goals: John Hopkins or Baylor University 

Edited August 3, 2017 by lolkeinthatsghey

[Lord of the Pickles]

In your applications you should mention your struggles and how you overcame or coped with them. Do not overlook your financial struggles in your applications just because they are a problem that doesn't originate from your academic life.

If I remember correctly, there was someone (can't remember their name) who made it into Harvard with a very low GPA (<2 I think) because they had to support their family and had to prioritize their 2 jobs over school. Their struggles showed that they were resilient, determined, prioritized appropriate tasks, and could handle the university workload. 

I don't know the specifics of your situation but just from reading this I can tell that you are spending your very limited resources towards your extra curriculars/academics, which shows your determination to go to uni.

Good luck applying, and good luck with your situation