Hi
My grade dropped from a to c on my senior year of high school because of a reason that i cannot tell. And i read in many article that explain to your college about your grade drop but i dont understand how to explain my problem to them ! Do i have to write a essay or a letter to the college ! Or is there a way i can tell them by using commonapp.
Idiotic question i know but still need advice
There is a section in the common app where you can include additional information. Look for that.
It might be best however, if your guidance counselor writes about it in his/her letter.
To expand on happymomof1’s point, your GC can tell the school about your personal situation in a way that doesn’t make it sound like you are make excuses for poor performance. They can also verify that you have addressed or overcome that particular issue. That leaves you all the space in your application to present your best possible self - your goals and objectives, what motivates you, what you care about. If your personal situation is too sensitive to share with a GC, then yes, you have space in the application to write about it. Be assured that whatever you have to say, you are probably not the first person to have had this issue. The schools will be looking for evidence that you have overcome the problem successfully and are not at risk of either failing academically or requiring exceptional support on their part.
I don’t think you should write an explanation for one grade if that is one class you are talking about. That is more for a whole semester, like a death in the family or an illness, or even problems in your home.
Here is another idea:: if you have an interview, that might be a good time to address the issue.
@amanivy that’s the best idea i have got so far, but there are some problems in following your method.