Getting in is not really the problem..
My average was in the high 80s in high school, and I'm currently in a B-C range.
So if you can't even manage an average in the mid-70s in high school, then you're going to have a tough time keeping up in university.
However, if this is strictly due to illness, and you feel that your usual marks are in the 80-90 range, then I wish you the best of luck, and I'm sure that if you work very hard and do extremely well this semester, you'll be fine.

I disagree. Good grades in high school do not equal good grades in university, nor do better grades in high school equal better grades in university.

I have a friend who barely squeaked into Mac and does great in her program, and another who was not into school up to grade 12 and who was probably lucky to get in... He was valedictorian of his class and on the dean's list for four years.

Me, I was an A student in high school and my first year went worse because of it, probably because I wasn't used to doing "badly" (average) and it was easy to feel defeated and give up. I pulled my grades way up the next year and I do well now but I think I needed that year of being a screwup to teach me how to bootstrap, and how to pull myself out of the rut.

I read this book recently that argues that intelligence is not really a determinant of grades, and that it's more about curiosity, "grit" and being able to face failure and rise above it, all things that can be taught. I skated by with great grades in high school because I was smart and I didn't need to learn the rest of those skills until I was already here.

Tl;dr - high school grades have very little to do with university performance.

Originally Posted by SweetyTweety

Getting in is not really the problem..
My average was in the high 80s in high school, and I'm currently in a B-C range.
So if you can't even manage an average in the mid-70s in high school, then you're going to have a tough time keeping up in university.
However, if this is strictly due to illness, and you feel that your usual marks are in the 80-90 range, then I wish you the best of luck, and I'm sure that if you work very hard and do extremely well this semester, you'll be fine.

I totally disagree with this premise. I dropped out of high school twice before I finished with grade ranging from 7% to 98% depending on my level of interest in the material but an average in the high 50s. I hated high school with a passion, and instead of doing assignments (or going to class most days) I read other books, wrote a whole lot, watched documentaries, and taught myself to play multiple musical instruments.
Because I can focus on courses I actually care about and I know I'm paying for university I'm pulling almost straight 12s.
Either way, grades are a terrible indicator of both intelligence and of ability.

Hey Amber, I'm going to share with you something most people don't know about. The reason most people don't know about it is because it does not apply to the average person. However, it appears that you are in a special circumstance. Check out the link that I have mentioned below. It is right from OUAC and will be a starting point for addressing your concern. Let me know how it goes! Good luck!

http://guidance.ouac.on.ca/resource/...circumstances/

you guys are amazing help! Thank you so so much
And omg thank you for that link! I also emailed McMaster and they said to write them a letter explaining my circumstances!
But thank you very much for everyone who took their time to reply!