How to Help an Underachieving Teen Get Into College

Member

By kelbra12
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (13 Ratings)

Underachieving teens have such potential.

Do you have an underachieving teen- one who does not meet the standard that is expected according to actual ability? We might call them teens at risk, as they are either failing or below average at school, with something holding them back. There are steps that you can take to remedy the situation. In my work with teens and with help from the experts, I have found that a teen’ s life can undergo a turnaround. A famous American general, statesman and popular public speaker, made a C in high school and later went on to achieve his undergraduate and master’s degrees. A teacher in Los Angeles took her low achieving class from the bottom to the top in district test scores. A teen with a C average and a 14 on her ACT test graduated from college and has a lucrative career. These examples show that underachieving students can make it to college. If they do not receive help to help themselves, they could be stuck in a corner in life. Let us get them out of that corner and into our colleges and on to a successful career.

Following are causes of underachievement and suggestions for improvement

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Causes of underachieving teens at risk

Low self-esteem
Peer pressure
Drugs and alcohol
Poverty and crime
Laziness and boredom
Lack of parental help
Step 2

Teen at risk graduates.

Suggestions for improvement

Tutoring – This might be only in the difficult subjects. One of the teens at risk who scored 14 on the ACT ,had tutoring help in college in remedial math and some difficult subjects.
Step 3

Monitor and learn of any chemical issues and get help,if needed, for the teens at risk. One parent and student achieved success by scheduling a doctor appointment for a consultation on the alcohol issue.
Step 4

Instill confidence along with loving discipline- Give deserved praise only, without showering teen with praise. Make teen take responsibility for own actions and discipline wisely.
Step 5

Monitor TV and computer time. Make a joint decision about time for homework and other activities. If the teens at risk participate in the decision, a better feeling about choices should result.
Step 6

Know the teen’ s friends and parents. If the underachiever hangs out with others who think getting good grades is not “cool” talk with the teen about success, pointing out that being different is a challenge worth undertaking.
Step 7

Love, listen, and motivate –Parents need to spend quality time with the underachieving teens at risk. Getting the teen to talk with parents listening attentively, can open many doors. Learn what motivates the teen, and show that your love is constant. Give hugs
Step 8

The underachieving teens at risk from poor or crime-ridden families can be helped by intervention from the school. Some teachers have students keep journals where they write about bad experiences, thus releasing these thoughts from their minds. In addition, hungry children may have difficulty in school and the school lunch program assists with this issue.
Step 9

The successful teen may have a broader choice of colleges, while the teen who has not reached full achievement might look at smaller colleges where the requirements for admission are not as rigid. Fortunately, both types of students have the same chance of long-term success.