Читать книгу America's Best Colleges for B Students - Tamra B. Orr - Страница 38

There will come a time within the application, essay or interview where you will be expected to either explain or discuss your SAT/ACT score and GPA. It’s better to offer an explanation than to ignore your scores or GPA and hope that the admissions officers don’t notice them. In fact, they will notice them, and without an explanation, they will have no reason to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Remember that admissions officers are human beings. They have made mistakes or struggled in some way in their lives. They will understand and listen, so take the time to explain honestly why you believe your numbers are not as high as you had hoped they would be.

Here is a list of the general do’s and don’ts that you need to remember when discussing your less-than-stellar numbers. The key is to be honest at all times.

DO: Explain any circumstances that may have affected your numbers such as these:	DON’T:
frequent moves	whine
test anxiety or health issues	complain
learning disabilities	place blame on others (parents, teachers, etc.)
part-time jobs	adopt a “poor me” attitude
extenuating personal or family issues	be emotional

As you can see, it’s important to take responsibility for your performance. Instead of making excuses or blaming others, state the facts and own up to how you did. There are legitimate and understandable reasons for not doing as well as you are capable of doing. Some of these reasons were listed above. But make sure that you do not confuse explanations with excuses. Not having a date to the spring formal is not a good reason.

Also have a balance between providing enough information to make your case but not so much information that your explanation is overwhelming. For example, you might write that having a severely ill parent affected your ability to concentrate on your studies for a semester, but you don’t need to also provide the detail of every medical procedure your parent has had.

If your grades are low in a specific subject, explain this. You can describe how you have sought extra help in the subject or how you took a summer school class to make sure you really understood the material, but it’s still a weak area. You can also explain that you plan to major in another subject area in which you are stronger when you reach college.

It’s important as well to note any progress that you’ve made. If you have since improved your grades in a subject area or overall, indicate this and explain that you have a renewed commitment to your studies.