Getting into college with average grades is hard enough, but what if you have grades that are below average? Your grade point average is one of the first things a college is going to look at when deciding whether or not to accept you. Even if you have low grades, though, you should still be able to get into college.
Other Considerations
If your grades aren’t very good, there are still plenty of other ways to impress colleges. Do you play an instrument? Have you played sports throughout high school? Do you volunteer every week with a non-profit organization? Colleges don’t just want geniuses – they want well-rounded individuals who are community-minded and can step up to be leaders when needed.
If getting into college with average grades or worse is a big concern for you, consider why your grades are so low. Do you have a disability? Do you have a challenging curriculum? Has your life at home been a struggle? These are all things that admission representatives can take into consideration. Also, if you haven’t taken your SAT or ACT yet, study hard so that you can prove that you are capable of doing college-level work.
Community College
Community college is a great option for students who are worried about getting into college with average grades. Many jobs only require a two-year degree anyway, but you can always transfer to a four-year university after getting your general education courses out of the way. Generally, community colleges will accept a person as long as he or she has a high school diploma or equivalent. You may have to take remedial classes if you didn’t do very well in math or language arts as a high school student, but at least you’ll be able to get an education. One thing that’s great about going to community college is that you’ll be able to save quite a bit of money on tuition. Because of this, starting out with community college courses is a great way to see if you’ll be able to handle a tougher course load.
Open Acceptance Four-Year Colleges
Many high school students and even adults assume that four-year colleges are selective, but this isn’t always the case. There are actually quite a few schools that have the same admissions policies as community colleges. These open acceptance schools will grant admission to any student that has a high school diploma or equivalent. Almost all open acceptance four-year colleges are public. If you think that you want to get a bachelor’s degree and would like to spend all four years at the same school, check state universities first. Getting into college with average grades might mean that you’re a bit behind most of your peers, but that’s okay. If you go to an open acceptance public university, you’ll probably have a lot of options, including free or cheap tutoring, access to peer study groups and courses that are specifically designed to help students learn proper studying techniques.
Conclusion
If you want to get an education, don’t let anything stop you – not even a low grade point average. Getting into college with average grades or below average grades is very doable, and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a school that’s a good fit.
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