How do committees view big turnarounds?

[aslabchu]

Long story short, I have a rare disease. I went to a big state school here, had some really serious health problems stemming from that disease, and needed 5+ surgeries and serious rehab over a period of years. During this time, I tried—in vain—to attend school, and I failed miserably. I had a difficult time attending, and I got a ton of zeroes. I was academically dismissed, went somewhere else, and bombed just as badly in the first semester. Then, I took a semester off, had a surgery that finally worked, and I did about 100 credits at the second school, graduating with a 3.9 and all kinds of awards.

I'm looking at MPA programs. When i see their GPA requirements, I don't know what to make of them. My "true" cumulative GPA is pretty bad: about a 2.5, but I don't think that tells the story about me, academically. Likewise, a 3.9 doesn't do the trick, either. My question is, how should I view this going forward? Do I have a shot at programs that want a 3.5+, or is my past going to weigh me down? I say this because I'm filling out an application for the University of Minnesota, and they only ask for your cumulative gpa. It made me feel like they might not give me a fair shot based on that initial low number.

If it helps, I also have pretty decent GRE scores (168v, 155q), and my letters are going to be good. I'm also confident in my writing ability for personal statements and the like. My resume is not impressive, as I've spent most of my time recovering from surgeries, but I do have some non-professional type work experience.

 

Edit: if it's helpful, the health stuff all happened from about 2005-2010, so it's pretty old now.

Edited January 9, 2016 by aslabchu

[Extra Espresso]

I think it's a topic you'll definitely want to address in your SOP. Obviously you have proven that you are a strong student, with your recent GPA being a 3.9. Where it asks for the cumulative GPA, I think you need to put your GPA including all classes even the ones when you were struggling with health problems, but in your SOP, you should state that you have a 3.9 for the last 100 credits and some short statement about the reason for the low grades. From what I've read in other threads, a short explanation without too much detail is best as long as you address it. 

Also, if you have a strong relationship with one of your LOR writers, you could ask them to address it. 

I don't have any experience with your particular field/program, so you may want to see what others from your area say!