>>1 I think first, you should create an alternative plan, and THEN tell your parents.
I didn't get as high of marks as I wanted to go to Cornell, so I decided to go to an online university so I could work while receiving an education.
The online university is called American Public University (APUS), and they pretty much accept anyone (I've never even taken the SAT before).
After being there for two years with 3.65 GPA, I applied for different colleges and universities and got accepted. While taking online courses, I also realized that what I was initially majoring in wasn't what I wanted, so I was able to get on the right track instead of going straight to Cornell (an expensive ass university) majoring in something I hated.
(shrugs) Worked for me.
