Mid-Year Report Scare: My Grades Are Dropping First Semester Senior Year

Applying to College
1

Okay I need some serious help or advice.

Long story short, from freshman year up to junior year, my grades have been fairly high; I’ve gotten all A’s and very few B’s my junior year. However, second semester junior year, my parents traveled (financial circumstances), which make me in charge of my siblings, and also my grandmother unexpectedly passed the summer after the junior year. So, senior year now has been really tough, trying to balance taking care of my family, taking 6 APs my senior year, college applications and leadership positions in clubs.

My grades are dropping and I feel like they will continue to do so. I feel like I will get a lot of B’s my first semester, which will ruin my chances for college. I’m applying early decision to Rice University through Quest Bridge, so I feel like that will significantly affect my chances. There are outside factors, obviously, that are contributing to my low grades, but it seems as though my teachers don’t really care.

I have two more weeks before the end of the first quarter, and then I have another quarter before my grades can increase, before I send my Mid-Year report. So, at this point, I am terrified that I have officially ruined my chances. The best I’m thinking is that I would get accepted, but then I would get rescinded because of my lowering grades. What do I do, or how do I tell them my situation? I have an interview with them soon; can I tell the interviewer that?

TL;DR - My grades are dropping bc of outide factors, I’m scared that Mid-year report would affect my chances. Do I tell my interviewer that? Pls help lolol

2

Have your GC address your issues. If you do it will come across as whining. Frankly you shouldn’t let your grades drop because of clubs. That was one of the reasons you listed.

3

I am unclear if your parents are around or not based on what you’ve written but I am sorry, it sounds as if you have had a lot of extra things thrust on you and are struggling to balance it. I would suggest stepping down from the leadership positions. Grades need to come first and clubs can take quite a bit of time. That can be addressed in supplemental app questions or the additional info section as you needing to reallocate your time to help with siblings and if handled that way isn’t whining. It would be better to lose those clubs than have the grades suffer as a result.

That said. Breathe. Take a step back and focus on the day to day and not next quarter or semester end. Engage with your teachers to see what you can do to bump things back up and identify try areas that you need the most help with. Extra credit, tutoring, etc. The world will not end with B’s but you do have the ability to do the best you can to try and improve those. A quarter really is quite a lot of time and half the battle truly is mental.