<p>Okay so I need help with the following situation. I got accepted to several top schools last year but couldnt go due to severe extenuating circumstances. Also supplementing this, my IB scores werent that great and so I will be retaking some of them next year and will be reapplying to some of US and UK schools such as LSE,etc that I got accepted to before for a social science. What I wanted to ask was that in the schools that Ive already applied to is it okay if my predicted scores decrease from somewhere in the high 40s to the low 40s? And if so what kind of effect will this have on my application?</p>
<p>Let me get the ball rolling by saying that it is not at all beneficial if your predicted scores change from one year to the next. When you reapply to a school they won’t read your file in isolation. The admissions officer will have your previous years file in front of him as your current file. If he sees changed predicts decrease, it will have a negative impact on your application and you will most likely get rejected. If I were you I would sincerely request your counselor to keep your predicted the same as before. </p>
<p>Moreover, think about it. You had “severe extenuating circumstances.” If this is responsible for your grade drops and you and your counselor still have belief that you can get near that predicted (4-5 points would constitute this nearness) then why should your predicted change? Let it remain and work harder, having faith in your abilities.</p>
<p>I’m saying this once again. The choice is yours but I would harshly recommended against your predicted changing. As someone experienced in the college admissions process, I can say with some degree of certainty that this will cause a sure shot rejection in whichever countries you decide to apply to (especially at the top schools such as LSE that you stated). </p>
<p>Ditto to what the above poster said. Having your predicted change is a strict no-no in the eyes of the admissions committee. As a former admissions counselor at the University of Warwick (it’s a school in the UK), I would recommend against it. My advice would be to retake your IB exams with a calm mind and try to get near or on your predicted scores. As nocensure said, an estimate for nearness is a 4-5 points gap maximum. Moreover even if you don’t reach near these scores, UK colleges usually have conditional offers of around 38 with a 766 or somewhere along those lines. If if you have a predicted of a high 40 and get a low 40, there will be NO negative impact. In fact you would have completed your offer. But if your predicted scores change, colleges won’t even give you this conditional offer because its just seen as a negative thing to do. Also, something important to keep in mind is that in all these colleges there is a difference as you go up in the higher 40’s. Ex: the difference between a 43 and a 42 would be higher than the difference between a 32 and a 33. Since you said your predicts are in the high 40’s you would have a significantly better change at college than in the low 40’s. I can tell you that from experience. I would follow through on nocensure’s advice to talk and request your counselor to keep the grades as it is.</p>
<p>My daughter was in a similar situation and our counselor did maintain the previous year’s predicted grades. In fact this is seen as a positive be colleges because it shows the school’s trusts on you and colleges like this sort of “trust.” It would create a positive impression. I hope I’ve answered your questions satisfactorily. If you have other questions don’t hesitate to post again. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think anything more needs to be said on this thread. The above two posters have, I think, answered your question properly. But, nevertheless I thought I would share my two cents. My S had a similar situation where he had to reapply. Fortunately, his counselor kept the same predicted scores for his A-level retakes and he got a conditional from 4 of his 5 choices. What my point is that not only in colleges but in any situation if someone sees something change in a negative fashion from one year to the other, it’s not going to be great. It could be scientific data, astronomical readings or even GDP data. It’s a natural human response. I would request your counselor (I presume you have one) to keep your scores the same and ensure her that you will perform better.</p>