<p>Okay I've seen so many times people tell other people (including me) that I could make up for a low GPA if I had a good reason and wrote it in the essay. I am just wondering what are some examples of a "good reason"? </p>
<p>I have a reason but I don't know if it is a "good reason". and I don't know how to write an essay like that.</p>
<p>Usually good reasons are events that are outside of the student’s control. For example, a death in the immediate family that leads to depression can be a good reason for low grades if explained correctly.</p>
<p>I can’t believe I’m about to put this out there in detail…but what about this:</p>
<p>Brother moves back in that tired to kill me and my mother when I was young. He caused alot of drama at my house as no one liked him, and during the second year he got into multiple fights with my father than almost resulted in death. And also my grandpa died during the second year, that really messed up my whole family. </p>
<p>is that a “good reason”? If so how would I write about that?</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your guidance counselor and discuss this. It may not be something that you need to write about, but rather that your guidance counselor should cover in his or her letter of recommendation.</p>
<p>so your parents let your brother, who, according to you, attempted to murder both you and your mother, move back in the house?</p>
<p>lol?</p>
<p>@happymomof1 idk who to talk to at my school though…everyone is busy and like how do I even start that convo?</p>
<p>@perfect36 Thanks for making a joke out of my horrible life…lol jk yeah I know it is weird. My dad and the rest of my family has been totally against it but my mom just kept secertly helping him until it spilled over into our life’s 
OH! And the perfect irony is that after she filed the charges against him 2-3years later she worked and payed her ass off to get them off of him. Yeah…■■■</p>
<p>Bump anyone else ideas to share?</p>
<p>You just make an appointment with your counselor and tell him or her. Chances are that someone at your school already knows this story. If they don’t well then it is high time that they did. Part of their job is to help keep you safe and to help you get any social services that you need.</p>
<p>@happymomof1 Like college counselor or like mental counselor? And CRAP! Yeah I did tell once teacher…long story he is kinda doesn’t have any respect for me though. Also when should I during my junior (this come school year) or during my senior year?</p>
<p>^^Your HS guidance counselor. Agree with hm1, this is a subject that should be addressed by a third party, your HS GC, not by you in your essay.</p>
<p>I do not think that is a good reason, to be quiet honest with you. Emotions should not sway you so much. Rely on logic and emotions won’t get in your way. Sure, you had some family trouble, but that is just too bad. The difference between an A+ and a F is the titude after the letters. It is all about attitude. I feel that you just did not have the right attitude and you are now using that reason as a crutch. Sure, call me a jerk, cold, heartless ■■■■■■■. There are always an optimistic and pessimistic path. I feel that you took the latter. Sorry to hear your family problems, but I don’t think that is a good reason. The right reason is that you lacked the maturity to handle the situation at that time, but you have learned. You have learned that attitude is everything and that all limits are self imposed. Your brother or anyone did not put those limits on you. You imposed those limits on yourself by not having the right attitude.</p>
<p>Go ahead, call me a jerk, but I see it as it is.</p>
<p>@entomom Alright then, now just to figure out how to do this awkward conversation with her.</p>
<p>@davidthefat No joke I realized that close to the end of the year. However I will say that it does affect me that I had to get passed around from house to house helping my grandpa dealing with my brother’s crap and having to see the strongest people in my life go through so much drama, which included crying. So forgive me if all this happening at once freaked me out</p>
<p>Sounds similar to me…</p>
<p>^Woeishe you need to stop freaking me out like this!! We have way to much in common! Next thing you know you are going to tell me your my secret twin. LOL. But foreal what did yo do? Did your grades suffer or what?</p>
<p>^ Basically the same, except replace brother with drug-addicted stepdad. Well… I made 2 Bs xD</p>
<p>Lol idk how to take that so I am just going to ask if you are going to let the college know or not?</p>
<p>Speaking of which to EVERYONE should I even bother telling my GC to tell the colleges about it? My GPA is probably going to be like 3.14 at the end of junior year.</p>
<p>What were you’re grades sophomore and freshman year? What kind of schools are you going to apply to?</p>
<p>I will PM you my transcript as for the schools I haven’t picked the other 3 but the two for sure are University of Oklahoma and Johns Hopkins. I am going to pick 3 more in between that range. </p>
<p>If anyone else wants to see the grades send me a message. (just trying to avoid certain people from seeing them) </p>
<p>Your guidance counselor will know whether or not it is necessary to discuss this in a letter of recommendation. It might be a good idea, it might not, it might even depend on the particular college/university that you are applying to. But please do talk with your guidance counselor and get some help with dealing with the your family’s issues. You have nothing to be ashamed of. It isn’t your fault that your relatives don’t know how to behave!</p>
<p>If there is a legitimate reason for having a low GPA, just be honest about it. If there isn’t, own up to your GPA.</p>