Explaining Away Bad Grades

You're pretty proud of your transcript. Your grades have been mostly good ones, perhaps all A's and B's, but there's that one C- you made in Algebra 2.  So, should you explain that grade to colleges?  That is an excellent question, and the answer can be yes and no.
It really comes down to the reason for the C-.  If it is truly because of circumstances beyond your control, like a serious illness or a death in the family, then yes, a brief explanation might be in order. However, if your explanation includes something like "well, he's the hardest teacher in the school," then the answer is no.  There's no way you can say that without sounding whiny.

Let's go  in a slightly different direction. Let's say in the middle of your senior year, you suddenly decide you don't want to take that semester AP Comparative Government course, but we've already sent your transcript.  You need to let them know your schedule has changed, but what reason are you going to give them? Are you dropping it because you just don't want to work that hard your last semester in high school?  Are you changing your schedule because you really have developed a love for forensics (or fill in the blank)? Do you see how tricky this can be?

To be honest, students usually want to change their schedule because they really don't want to work that hard anymore. They're tired, and we get that.  But it's still going to be almost impossible to explain. Maybe the college won't care; maybe they will.  It's ultimately your decision, but you need to think about it very carefully. 

It's kind of the same thing with the infamous senior slide.  Seniors are well-known for, let's say, not working quite so hard second semester.  Read that acceptance letter carefully.  Here's an excerpt from one:  "We expect you to maintain a continued high level of academic performance for the remainder of your high school career. If there are any significant changes, you should notify us immediately."  What are you going to say? "I just stopped working?"

These are but a few of the choices you will have to make.  What direction will you choose?