I agree with what everyone above said, although I think using grades as an excuse could get murky. In that case, my fear would be that if she really gung-ho and accepts that as the excuse, what happens if she goes all out and does get her grades up by the next year's formal rush....she's going to feel that she "solved the problem" and wonder why she didn't get a bid that time either. Not that raising one's grades is ever a bad thing

but I'm just looking in the long run/worst-case-scenario