I know everyone asks "am I too old?" but I am really curious...long story short

[hanucol]

Hello everyone, I am new here but I've been lurking the forums for a while. I'm 22 and a student at Sacramento State University (well I'm actually currently taking a semester off right now and I will come back in the Fall) and I was wondering a few things:

Are my chances shot because of my age and grade rank? Technically I am a senior based on the number of units I took at Sac State and my community college combined, but I will be there for a couple of years because I am trying to get accepted into the graphic design program (which is ultra competitive at Sac State) and is 2 years worth of upper division design classes. When I first transferred Fall 2010, I was approached by a few non NPC sororities and at the time I still felt too old, but they assured me that they accept anyone, and they've had seniors join. I'm interested in rushing for both NPC and non NPC (I'm Filipino, so the Asian and multicultural sororities are of interest to me)

Also, my GPA isn't so hot either. I have a 2.8 cumulative. I had a 3.0 my first semester, but the reason I didn't do well last year in the spring was because my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer...and it took a toll on our whole family, and I had to help take care of him and my 19 year old autistic sister (who adheres to a strict schedule), and I was extremely stressed out and failed 2 classes as a result. I also had my share of health issues as well...I have lupus, and I got a bad seizure right after my finals in December, which is why I'm taking a semester off right now. I am still trying to recover completely. The good news is that I was able to pass all my classes last semester and go back on good standing after from being on academic probation because of those 2 failed classes. Would there be a chance of explaining this when I do decide to rush in the fall?

I do regret not rushing at Sac State when I was approached, and I plan on doing so before it's too late. I have nothing to lose, and I want to rush with an open mind, and even if I don't get a bid, I know there are many other opportunities for me to get involved on campus. I just also think I may have a chance because Sac State is a big commuter school so it's probably not as competitive as those southern schools. Also I have been involved in a lot of extra curricular activities at my community college (student newspaper, Campus Crusade for Christ, cheer team, graphic design studio club, etc.) and held down a few jobs, so I hope this would at least give me an advantage.