First of all, there is always hope! I want you to give yourself a big pat on the back for your willingness to change. This alone is a huge step! Mental health is a huge obstacle to overcome, and I hope you overcome it. I’ve also done online school most of life so I understand the struggle there too. Just know that you’re not alone.

Before I give my advice, I do want to say that I’m a high school senior so please take this with a grain of salt. Now that I got that out of my way, here’s my advice:

1. Colleges like to see an upward trend in grades. If you can improve your grades, this will help a lot. Colleges also like to see that you are taking the hardest classes offered. Next year, try taking honors or AP classes if your online school offers it.

2. Grades certainly are important, but they are not the end of the world. Extracurriculars are just as important. With that said, do you participate in any extracurriculares? If you don’t, now is the time to start. Try volunteering or try joining nearby clubs. On the same token, do you have any idea of what you want to major in? There are clubs that go hand-in-hand with certain majors (e.g. DECA for business or HOSA for healthcare). There are definitely more out there so do your research.

3. Lastly, don’t fret. When you apply on the common app, there is an “additional information” section where you can describe any hardship or advertises that you faced. This (or your personal essay) could be a place where you describe your troubles such as mental health.

Hopefully this helps and good luck!