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How do you get colleges to acknowledge you when there is a drop during your junior , but a major change your senior year?

During my junior year it got tough and I started to fall behind , due to deaths in my family and I was wondering if that would make colleges look the other way. #college #howdoIgetnoticed

howdoigetnoticed
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Ken’s Answer

The first thing to do is to have a discussion with the admissions office and your academic adviser to see how you can proceed. They may be much more understanding and helpful than you expect.


Another thing to consider is whether you are following an appropriate career path. It is important to see how your personality traits relate to people working in those areas and talk to them in person to see what they do, how they got there, and what advice that they might have.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Alice Foster’s Answer

Hi, LaChelle. The fact that you are even asking this question means that you have taken a great first step, which is preparing yourself to address it. My suggestion is that you do exactly that: Address it. When I read an application, I am trying to get a clear sense of who you are as a person as well as who you are as a student. Admissions counselors are going to note that change in your transcript and wonder about it, so it is in your best interest to explain it. It is part of your story. You don't need to go into great personal detail and it doesn't need to be the focus of your primary essay(s), just an explanation--not an excuse, but some insight that demonstrates resilience in how you recovered academically. Most college applications offer optional space that you can use for exactly that purpose, something that says pretty much straight out, "Is there any additional information that you would like to relay that is important for us to know..." Take advantage of that space. We all go through difficult periods that affect us, and admissions counselors understand that and will appreciate your candor.

Alice Foster recommends the following next steps:

Take advantage of the optional space in your college applications to address the fluctuation in grades during your junior year head on. Focus on the positive aspect, which is your growth and academic improvement afterward.
If you have strong, positive relationships with any particular teachers or a school counselor that provided support during what was a difficult period, ask one of those people to be one of your references, and ask if they would feel comfortable writing about how you worked to rebuild your academic standing. You will be likely be waiving your right to read what they write--that's expected to ensure that letters of recommendation are honest--but someone that you trust that can speak to how you came to them for help and took on extra work could be very persuasive on your behalf.
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