We all want to live in a world where there are no low grades, but that’s not the universe most of us live in. For the vast majority of students, low grades happen here and there. Whether it’s an awkward transition to high school freshman year that took a toll on your science grade, or a teacher you simply didn’t meld with for junior year English, there are lots of reasons why you might have a dip on your transcript that isn’t representative of what you’re capable of. Ideally, these situations are anomalies — not the norm.

If you’re grappling with a low grade, you need to address it head-on. Ignoring a weird spot on your transcript doesn’t help you at all, so there are a few things you need to do. In this post, we’ll tell you how to explain a low grade on your transcript so that it doesn’t hurt your college applications.

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Before we dive into what to do about addressing a low grade in your applications, we should clarify what we mean by a “low grade.” To us, “low grade” means any grade that is significantly lower than the trend on your transcript. What your “low grade” threshold is will be personal to you, so scale this advice to fit your individual situation.

If the Low Grade is in an Area you Aren’t Aspiring to Major in…

If your low grade is not in the subject you are looking to major in for college, you’re in luck. You aren’t arguing that you are exceptional in this subject in your application, which makes things a little easier. However, you still don’t want the grade to cloud your overall awesomeness.

How you address your low grade will depend on how bad it is.

If the grade is in the B/B- range: In this case, you don’t really need to say anything. Making an excuse will distract from what really mattering in your application — the things you did excel at!
If the grade is below a B-: If you’re grade is below a B-, it may make sense to mention struggling in a particular class and what that experience taught you in a supplement, but an additional information section isn’t necessary unless there were extenuating circumstances that contributed to the grade. An example of this may be a medical issue.
Below a C: If one of the grades on your resume is below a C — and this is a significant drop from your standard — you need to address it. Ideally, you would write about it in a supplement that allows you to expand on a challenge. If you don’t have a supplement like this, you may need to write an additional information section. In general, we advise explaining over excusing, so you’ll need to figure out a story that explains this situation without making it the centerpiece of your application. Luckily, this is something we’re really good at.

If the low grade is in an area you are aspiring to major in…

If the low grade is in an area you are aspiring to major in, you’re in a much tougher position. This is because what you want to major in is, ostensibly, something you’re really excited about and ideally awesome at. So, the question you need to answer is, why the low grade?

If the grade is only slightly lower than your average, try to work a mention of an academic struggle you persevered through into a supplement. If the colleges you are applying to don’t have supplements, contact us to strategize.

If the grade is significantly lower than your average grade and it is in your area of focus, you are going to need to make sense of it for the reader. This is probably going to require an additional information section. If you have time before your application due date, you should also add an activity that reinforces your interest in your area of focus, such as an internship. While this won’t fix your grade, it will show your commitment to the subject you are interested in and will also exhibit growth and perseverance on your part as you strive towards future success.

A low grade (or even two) is not a death knell for your application to a top college, but it is something to be addressed head-on and with a coherent strategy. We’re pros at that.

We help students craft compelling applications that aren’t derailed by little hiccups, so send us an email. We’re very good at this.