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Strategies for Strengthening Your College Application Despite a Low GPA
Many students with a low GPA may feel discouraged or hopeless when applying to graduate school or other academic programs. While GPA is a critical factor in the admissions process, it is not the only one. Admissions committees consider various elements, such as test scores, extracurricular activities, leadership experience, and professional achievements. This Blog will cover what you can do to improve your candidacy by taking a holistic approach to your application, highlighting your strengths, and demonstrating potential in other areas to offset a low GPA.

Key Takeaways

  • A low GPA does not necessarily mean the end of your academic journey.
  • Admissions committees consider factors beyond GPA, such as test scores, extracurricular activities, leadership experience, and professional achievements.

Understanding the Impact of GPA on Admissions

A GPA is usually an indicator of a student’s academic ability and potential for success in an academic program. While other factors, such as test scores and letters of recommendation, are also considered, a high GPA can help a student stand out in a competitive applicant pool. Minimum GPA requirements vary across different institutions and programs. Researching the GPA requirements for your desired programs is essential to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications. For example, the University of California system requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-residents for admission to their undergraduate programs (though this can differ from university to university within the system). Conversely, highly selective institutions like Harvard University may require a minimum GPA of 3.8 or even higher.

Assessing Your Academic Record

When evaluating your academic record, take an honest and objective look at your transcript to identify areas of weakness and take steps to address them. Identifying Weaknesses in Your Transcript Review your transcript for patterns or trends in your grades. Seek feedback from teachers, guidance counselors, or academic advisors to gain valuable insight into your academic strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to address any areas of concern. Calculating Your GPA for Target Schools Research the GPA requirements for the schools you are interested in. Use a GPA calculator to determine your GPA for each school. Keep in mind that GPA is just one factor in admissions, and other aspects of your application, such as extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation, are also important.

Strategic Academic Planning

Selecting Courses to Boost Your GPA Taking additional courses that align with your interests and strengths can boost your GPA. Choose challenging but manageable courses, and consider retaking courses in which you received a low grade to demonstrate your commitment to improving your academic performance. Utilizing Academic Support Resources Use academic support resources such as tutoring services, study groups, and academic coaching. Developing good study habits and time management skills can help you stay organized and focused, leading to better academic performance.

Alternative Evidence of Academic Ability

Applicants with a low GPA can still demonstrate their academic ability through alternative evidence, such as highlighting relevant coursework and projects and demonstrating competency through standardized tests. Highlighting Relevant Coursework and Projects Showcase your strengths by discussing how you excelled in specific courses or projects related to your field of interest. Highlight any research or publications you have completed, focusing on their relevance to your desired program.

Extracurricular and Leadership Activities

Extracurricular activities and leadership positions can significantly help overcome a low GPA. Admissions committees value well-rounded applicants who have demonstrated leadership, teamwork, and a commitment to their community. Showcasing Leadership and Teamwork Participate in extracurricular activities to demonstrate leadership skills and teamwork abilities. Highlight specific examples that showcase your role and the impact of your efforts. Community Service and Volunteer Work Community service and volunteer work demonstrate a commitment to your community and a desire to impact positively. Provide specific examples and quantify the impact of your volunteer work.

Effective Application Strategies

Crafting a compelling narrative can strengthen your application when you have a low GPA. Admissions officers want to see that you have overcome challenges and have a clear vision for your future. Writing a Persuasive Addendum Use the addendum as an opportunity to explain your low GPA and showcase your strengths. Be honest about any extenuating circumstances, focus on how you have overcome challenges, emphasize your strengths and achievements, and use specific examples to demonstrate your skills and experience. Remember to ‘explain’, not make excuses, as to why you do not have a high GPA. Make sure to check out our College Admissions Mastery Course for exactly how to create a bulletproof addendum! Securing Strong Letters of Recommendation Strong letters of recommendation can strengthen your application. Choose recommenders who know you well and can speak to your strengths and potential. Provide them with specific information about your academic and future goals and any challenges you have faced to help them write a personalized and persuasive letter. Applying Early or Through Rolling Admissions Applying early or through rolling admissions can increase your chances of acceptance, especially if you have a low GPA. Early applicants are often reviewed before the application pool becomes too competitive. Rolling admissions allow you to submit your application as soon as it is ready, rather than waiting for a specific deadline.

Conclusion

A low GPA does not have to be the end of your academic journey. By taking a holistic approach to your application, assessing your academic record, strategically planning your courses, and highlighting your strengths, you can overcome a low GPA and strengthen your application. Focus on demonstrating your potential and commitment to academic success to increase your chances of acceptance into your desired program. Again, make sure to check out the College Admissions Mastery Course to ensure you have all the leverage necessary to overcome a low GPA and get yourself into your dream program!!
How to Stay Motivated as a Student: Checking in on Your Well-Being
Are you having trouble feeling motivated enough to finish out the school year? If so, you may need to examine your overall well-being. Here’s how to do a mid-semester wellness check-in:  

Wellness for Students

Wellness is not taught to students, so many times we feel like we are only surviving from semester to semester. Society’s constant need to work is causing ‘getting by’ day after day to become a dangerous norm. According to the BBC, overworking is actually killing people. It has become the largest occupational killer. Overworking causes a fight or flight response in the human nervous system.  We must stop these bad habits as students, to prevent ourselves from becoming victims to this socially acceptable way to die. Therefore, thriving must be our goal because surviving is no longer enough. As students, we must look at ourselves as whole beings and not just as work machines. A focus on wellness is the way to do this.  Understanding wellness also gets us away from the toxic side of self-love culture. It is a holistic approach that allows us to look inwardly and outwardly at ourselves. To get started on a wellness check-in there are four questions that I like to ask myself:
  1. How am I doing physically? 
  2. How am I doing socially?
  3. How am I doing emotionally? 
The answer to these questions will add up to give us an answer for how we are doing with our overall well-being. This may help in decerning what is the root of the motivation struggle.   

Physically

Physical wellness is ensuring that the best decisions are being made when it comes to taking care of our bodies. Most people choose one or two parts of their physical well-being to focus on and overlook the rest. Neglecting one of them will most likely harm the effects of another. Physical Wellness includes (but is not limited to): 
  • Nutrition
  • Physical activity 
  • Sleep
  • Skincare 
  • Haircare
  • Water intake 
  • Blue light screen time
 

Socially

UC Davis has a helpful guide to social wellness. Social wellness is cultivating meaningful relationships with proper boundaries and trust. As well as,  showing respect to everyone in your life. Social wellness includes (but is not limited to):
  • Proper Boundaries
  • Cultivating healthy relationships
  • Participating regularly in social interactions
  • Trying new activities
  • Meeting new people
  • Knowing and using your support system
 

Emotionally

How well we are able to handle feelings and emotions while adapting to changes and stresses in life is the core of emotional wellness according to the National Institutes of Health. College is a time of transitions and unknowns, so stress, anxiety, and depression are issues for college students. This is especially true after the pandemic. PBS News reported that 1 in 4 college students have considered suicide. Taking care of our emotional health is what we must do to continue living. Emotional Wellness includes (but is not limited to): 
  • Stress levels 
  • Happiness 
  • Coping with change
  • Acceptance of emotions
  • How you treat others 
  • The perspective you have of yourself
  • Managing difficult emotions
  • Having a purpose in life
  • Positive/negative self-talk
  • Gratitude 
  • Having a safe space to process
  • Getting professional help for mental illnesses
  In school, we will not be successful when these areas are off. If physical wellbeing is neglected then our brain has less capacity to process information. Our self-esteem plummets when our social lives are not healthily maintained. In addition, we will not have the necessary social skills to succeed in our professional life. Our emotional health can often be the foundation of our well-being, as unaddressed mental struggles can affect our functioning in life. So, as students, we need to check in with ourselves and make sure that we are wholistically doing well. If we are not, there are steps that we can take to get better. Stay on the lookout for more blogs discussing how to improve in each of these areas.     ~ Victorie Norman | WTA Communications Director
How to Have Great Senior Year in High School
Everyone wants their senior year in high school to be a magical picture.     *queue record playing nostalgic music*    A special time where you say goodbye to your school, friends, and essentially move into adulthood. Filled with final football games, school dances, getting into college with no problems, and senior pranks. Where senioritis hits at just the right time in the second semester and your teachers are kind enough to let it slide.    *Your record gets scratched with reality setting in*   However, this is usually a dream too good to be true. For many, senior year is a stressful time, filled with the unknowns of the future. Burnout plagues because seniors are trying to apply to colleges, keep up with their grades, take college-level classes, be involved in extracurriculars, and study for exams. This begs the question, can seniors have all of this responsibility and still enjoy their senior year?   The answer is yes!   
  1. Live in the here and now. 

First things first, throw that ridiculous fantasy of a movie like a senior year away. That’s overrated. Living in the moment in real life – whether it is stressful or happy is a wonderful tool to have. Remember, comparison (especially to an unrealistic dream) is the thief of joy  
  1. Think about what you want from your senior year in high school. 

Next, Write out goals. Break them up into two categories: Academic and Personal. This will help you stay on top of your schoolwork while also having some fun planned too.

 Some ideas for academic goals are: 

  • End senior year with _____ GPA 
  • Get to know a teacher that you admire better 
  • Join a new club 
  • Improve on your SAT/ACT score 
  • Try truly reading your textbooks 
  • Focus on a subject that you don’t like and try to find at least one positive about it. 
  • Tour 3 colleges that you are interested in
  • Consult a college admissions counselor 
 

Some Ideas of Personal Goals are: 

  • Find a mentor
  • Go to every home football game 
  • Go all out during spirit week 
  • Take a freshman under your wing
  • Have a Mental Health check-up 
  • Finally, ask your crush to homecoming/prom 
  • Find one self-care task, and do it at least once a week
  • Train two extra times a week for your sport 
  These are just some ideas, but make four or five goals for each of these categories and write them down. This will give you direction for the year.   
  1. Get ahead in every way possible. 

To reduce the stress that senior year may bring, try getting ahead in one area. If you have a ton of AP exams ~ have a consistent study plan going during the first semester. If you are stressed about college applications, start planning out what you will need for them right now. If you have a crush, try saying ‘hi’ to them right when you get back to school. If you want your Friday nights off for fun, see if you make a plan to get your work done before then. Getting ahead can allow a bit of senioritis to set in, without it turning into complete burnout.   
  1. Talk with Someone When You are Stressed 

There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders! It is okay to get overwhelmed; especially because you’re living through a global pandemic. Please do not try to keep it all to yourself and suffer alone. This will have negative effects on your mental and physical health (even if you can’t see it now, it will show up in the future). Find someone to talk to: a friend, parent, teacher, therapist, youth group leader, a coach, a mentor, etc… It makes all the difference to allow yourself to be supported.   
  1. Have Fun ~ It’s the only High School Senior Year You’ve Got

Finally, this is the only high school senior year that you will have. Build on your connections with the friends that you have. Go all out during Spirit week. Cheer as loud as you can at sporting events. Let the team that you are on become your family. Try to find a positive outlook as you go to class every day. Do something kind for a classmate. Be proud of all that you have accomplished.    Remember that your happiness should not be dependent on a test score, GPA, or even a college acceptance letter. Find it from within. If you can do this you will be ahead of a lot of adults in this world.    Have a wonderful school year!!!   ~ Victorie Norman | WTA Communications Director
The Pros and Cons of Online Education
Read Time: 5 minutes   COVID-19 has raised many questions – especially for students. As learning institutions across the world shift to online education platforms, you may be wondering “Why aren’t all classes online?” Almost three million students attend their higher education classes online, and at least six million take one or more of their degree-required classes online at some point in their academic careers. They do so for various reasons – cost effectiveness and flexibility among the top proponents of what’s really drawing millions of students to pursue online degrees. And now, as students around the globe are gearing up to get a taste of online education due to the pandemic, we at Write Track Admissions have put together a list of the benefits and drawbacks of online education.     PRO: Cost Savings   Online schools tend to be cheaper, primarily due to the elimination of the cost of living on campus at a brick and mortar university. Though some online schools have higher per-unit costs, these are typically offset by the decrease in living costs.    CON: Lack of interaction    One of the most profound and understated benefits of attending face-to-face classes is the social development that goes alongside it. Learning with others helps you acquire key social skills (patience, compassion, adaptability, teamwork), develop or test out your emotional intelligence, and build a strong network that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.    PRO: Flexibility & Applicability   Taking an online class gives you control and flexibility – something that you likely won’t find much of at a traditional university. Students are able to plan your schooling around the rest of your day, giving you greater freedom to pursue your passions. Moreover you can listen, re-listen, engage with and learn both from a visual and an auditory perspective.    Online learning has also been known to better meet the needs of students with learning challenges including ADHD/ADD. First and foremost it removes the in-person classroom stigma and instead provides an environment that is more comfortable, thus promoting a more positive learning experience. It also eases coping with distractions or problematic social situations as students who are struggling can take a break and learn at their own pace with more sustained and repetitious exposure to the material.    CON: Lack of Learning Environment   The exceptions to the joys of flexibility are traditional schools that have simply moved their classes online. You still have to attend class during its designated time, albeit via video conference, which undoubtedly opens the door to a lack of focused learning environment. Some students need the structure and accountability of in-person classes to help them learn and thrive.    PRO: Improved Technical Skills   Teachers and students alike are forced to become best friends with their computers/electronic devices in order to properly attend online classes. Programs like Blackboard and Canvas are the Learning Management Systems (LMS) of choice and they have many great technical features to help you absorb, interact, and learn in ways you never thought possible before. These technical skills will serve you as you enter a workforce that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology. The more computer programs you are familiar with, the better!   CON: Technical Difficulties & Accessibility   Online learning will likely pose a host of technical difficulty as generational differences and incompatibility between Mac and PC operating systems collide, as well as the sheer number of low income students who simply do not have access to proper computers and reliable internet. Indeed, internet accessibility has posed a major concern for students who relied on brick and mortar institutions for that necessity.   If you are struggling with imposed shifts to online class due to COVID-19, or need help deciding whether or not to pursue your degree online, contact Write Track Admissions!   Aly Hartman,  Communications DirectorWrite Track Admissions