8 College Admission Tips for Students With Bad Grades

Take classes you like -  Ask your school counselor to help you pick classes that make you happy and fulfill your requirements for high school graduation and college applications. 

Ask for help — and mean it - If you’ve decided now to work on raising your high school grades, you’ll have to build new habits. 

Take a class online or during the summer -  If you’re missing graduation requirements or failed a class and can't take it, you might have to take a class outside of the regular school year. 

Stick with teachers you like -  Some teachers in your high school are probably a better match for you than others. 

Find colleges that look at the whole person -  Many colleges and universities partake in “holistic” admission decisions, meaning they look not just at your academics but your extracurriculars. 

Use the “additional information”  section -  If you didn’t write your essay about the reason for your poor grades, explain it here. Don’t use this section to further comment on other things already outlined in your application. 

Consider starting at a community or other two-year college -  As long as you’ve finished high school, community colleges will take you as you are. 

Consider a postgraduate year -  Some private boarding schools offer students a “postgraduate year” (or “13th grade”) as a way to grow academically and socially before starting college. 

Download Best Higher Education Books, Study Notes & More..