Help me I really don’t know. I got a 2.6 gpa for my first three years of high school and now I’m a senior and am 100% dedicated to school now but I don’t know how to convince the college that. I’ve been debating basically writing a story about how unmotivated I was and just have it be like a movie of my life showing how i didn’t give a fuck about anything because of mentally ill brother and then up until now where I’ve finally realized that school is SERIOUS SHIT. Is this a good idea or should I just write a paper where I highlight my accomplishments and completely ignore my shitty grades?
I’m also studying to get a killer SAT score so the colleges know I’m serious
OK, as a mom and a high school teacher, here’s what I suggest:
- First and foremost, there IS a school that's perfect for you. There are lots of them. I've seen countless kids who didn't find that inner student until Senior year, and who got into college, graduated and found success in what they wanted to do. So know that there's hope.
- I wouldn't highlight my poor grades in the essay. That essay is your golden opportunity to show them that you're more than your grades. It's your chance to "give them a reason to say yes." I wouldn't spend it telling them what they already know from your transcripts. Let them know a different facet of your personality.
- If you do want to tackle the topic, do it in the light of the prompt that asks when you grew up (Common App prompt 5: "5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family"). You can talk about how and when you decided that grades DO matter, and what you've done about that realization. But focus on what you've done SINCE that realization, not on what happened before it. You only have 650 words-- don't spend them on your "before."
- Find the right schools. They're out there. Take a look at their 25th percentile and median SAT scores, and choose wisely.
- Someone on this thread will suggest Community College. I went to one, and found success; it was a great experience at a bargain price. But I'm hesitant to recommend it for kids who have struggled. At least in our local CC, there are upwards of 27,000 kids. It's easy to fall through the cracks. And I'm guessing that you don't have a strong group of friends who are high academic achievers, so you may not have the support system you would need to find success in that setting.
Spend some time today on a college match site (there’s one here at College Confidential) and come up with a list of schools where kids with your academic background find success-- at a price and distance from home that are good for you. Speak to your guidance counselor/ college placement counselor tomorrow about getting some recommendations. But it has to be done SOON; you’ll want to send those (November?) SAT scores to the colleges.
The best of luck to you!
Thank you for your advice. But I don’t know anything noteworthy that I’ve done since after I realized I need to do better in school, senior year just started. Sure I’ve been doing all my work on time and getting good grades but I should’ve been doing that for all of high school so it’s nothing special. Only thing I can think of is I’ve begun pursuing electronics on my own time because I think it’s interesting and I’m hoping to study electronics in college but that’s not impressive. They’re only going to see grades from like the first half of my senior year and anybody can force themselves to be good for half a year, so this essay has to be convincing. Would rather not spend a year at community college but every schools average gpa is way higher than mine so I guess thats what gonna end up happening.
I bet you a dollar we can find you some schools.
When you get the chance, PM me your stats and location. I’m pretty swamped, so I may not respond right away, but I’ll try to get you started.
In the meantime, make an appointment with your guidance counselor tomorrow morning. I’m an absolute rookie when it comes to college placement, but I’ll try to get you started.