Is writing an explanation for bad grades a good idea for college applications?

So, I’m usually considered a good student, but I’ve had a bit of a bad time in junior year and second semester probably isn’t going to end well for me grade-wise. I’ve read a few articles about writing an “addendum” to your college application in order to justify an off grade or semester, and I’ve been wondering if that’s a good idea for me. My problem is that I’ve never really communicated with my guidance counselor because I’ve never really been sure what I would say, and that if I tell him anything he has to also tell my parents what I said, and I don’t really want them to know about my academic problems because they’ll just make things worse.

I usually get A’s with the occasional B, but recently I’ve gotten a C on a dual credit history course first semester. I’ve been bad with time management because I’ve been stressing out and studying for the SAT instead of putting as much time into my schoolwork so now nearly all my grades are B’s and C’s that probably can’t be elevated by the end of this semester. I’ve taken on way too many college level courses for me to handle (I’m taking 4 different college level classes at once) and I think it’s too late to fix my mistakes.

What I’m trying to say is that, is it a good idea to mention this to colleges I want to apply to? Should I consult my guidance counselor about this? If so, how? I’ve done a lot of things to make myself stand out when applying for colleges, I even switched to doing online school because my previous one didn’t offer enough advanced classes, I volunteer as frequently as I can, I’ve even sacrificed my birthday and my Christmas one year so my family could afford for me to attend a special college program in the summer, but now I’m starting to fear that all going to go down the drain when colleges see that I got C’s on multiple of my college level classes.

Excuses like health problems or serious family issues can be appropriate to talk about. “I overloaded” – doesn’t really have the same impact. You can try it, but it may not help. Be sure you apply to matches & sateties that match your stats.

Unfortunately unless you have very special circumstances (death in the immediate family, serious illness, diagnosed mental health issues, experience a traumatic event, must work many hours to financially support the family, etc) colleges are unlikely to consider your addendum. Depending where you apply you might be competing with thousands of students who took courseloads at least as rigorous as yours, and many of them will have managed to maintain their grades while keeping up with their ECs. Certainly your efforts aren’t “going down the drain” because of a few Cs; you just need to be realistic in your college search. Assume no college will give you a pass on your grades…you can try sending an addendum to a college above your stats range if you want, but be realistic about the chances that your effort will succeed. After all, that college might have plenty of applicants who took five or six or seven AP/IB/Dual Credit courses junior year and still got As and Bs while maintaining multiple ECs.

Does that mean your rigorous courseload was a waste? Definitely not. You have hopefully learned a lot from your classes, and it is also good to know your limits. This is a good opportunity to improve your time management skills before going off to college. Better to have that wake up call now when you’re still home with your family in a supportive environment, instead of during your first year of college when you’re much more on your own. You also have time to set a more appropriate courseload for senior year, and if your grades improve you can show an upward trend for colleges that look at senior year grades. You will absolutely find a college that is a good fit for you.