How to explain my sudden drop in GPA to colleges
During the last week of my 2nd quarter and beginning of my 3rd quarter, I had considerable drop in my GPA. My school does a whole grade point system and I am usually a solid B+/A student but now my grades a way lower. This because my mother became ill I had to take care of her for about 2 weeks which caused me to miss school and fall into a state of sadness. Right now I am in spring break and desperately making up all the work I missed.
I know how important my GPA is for college admissions but I don't want this to negatively affect me when I apply. How could I explain this sudden shift in GPA to colleges when applying. I was thinking of writing a short essay explaining it but I'm afraid admission counselors will ignore it because I don't pass the threshold. I also am thinking of getting my TA and vice principal to write a letter explaining my sudden drop and RECOVERY. Other advice and thoughts would be really helpful for my situation.
Earn karma by helping others:
3 answers
First, I hope your mother is doing better! I'm sure she really appreciated having your help. The Additional Information section is perfect for this type of situation. You can also ask your counselor to mention it in their rec letter. Colleges tend to be understanding about situations like this, but if you're worried about not meeting academic thresholds, improving your grades and having a strong test score will help mitigate this risk.
I want to start off and say that I’m sorry about your mother’s condition.
It is important to get your grades up as much as you possibly can. You can also mention in your college app essays about this situation. But do not use the essay as an excuse to explain your dropping grades. It will positively impact you though.
With this, you can also explain your situation to your teachers and have them add something about it into your teacher recommendations.
I hope this helps! And best of luck to you!
I guess you can use the "Additional Information" section on the common app.
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!
Also have a high ACT/SAT score will also help!