Will a few bad grades ruin my chances? How do I explain them?Answered
During my freshman year, I was online for a quarter due to covid, and also moved to a new school without knowing anybody. I was extremely depressed for the first time ever so I didnt know how to cope. I almost failed every class during the first quarter ( a gpa of 1.6) but once I got back I got some A+'s and one B. My gpa the second quarter was 3.0. Now every quarter gpa is 4.0/ higher if we're counting weighted. It really dragged my gpa down, I have a 3.5835 unweighted and a 4.0335 weighted. So, how do I explain to all the schools Im applying to, my situation and that at least half of freshman year wasnt really me (ive always been an A student)? Will they actually accept it as a reason or do they just give you the chance to explain yourself and then ignore it? Thank you for reading this if you did!
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2 answers
I'm in a somewhat similar boat at the moment. Obviously, as someone going through the process myself, I can't exactly share my own success yet (nor does any applicant truly know how these things are considered by college admissions), however, I will say, yes, you could absolutely make a compelling argument out of this. Just be mindful of using language that places blame or makes it seem as if you are making excuses. Maybe try using a "This happened ----> This is how I did/will overcome or embrace it" type of format, especially if you have an extracurricular that relates to your experiences. I would also have one of your counselors corroborate this information in their letter, if possible.
Remember, there is almost always a way to frame yourself in a good light. I hope this helps, and best of luck to you with your applications!
Hey, just wanted to say first of all that you're not alone! I kinda went through the same thing but with extracurriculars (freshman and sophomore year did not join a single club) and Covid had a negative effect on a lot of people's mental health.
I'm applying for colleges this fall of 2023, and I've been told that you should explain any abnormalities on your application related to covid in the Covid additional information section of the common app and any other situations that affected your ability to do your best work in the general information section of the common app.
Seeing that you've been on an upward trend since freshman year, as long as you communicate your reasoning for the low grades in your application, I don't think this will impact you negatively! Good luck though and proud of you for getting your grades up :)
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thank you so much! I wish you luck with your situation as well. :)