<p>Explain it- or else the colleges will look at your transcript and throw it away. If you really feel like you learned something from the experience and can write a banging (why did I just use that word…?) essay on it, then by all means do it. But if I were you I wouldn’t focus too much on it- just offer an explanation. Your academic stats and EC’s are pretty solid, so nothing to worry about there. I guess your biggest worry is about the private school situation- just don’t worry about it too much. If you can communicate to the colleges that you’ve learned/matured from it, then it will at least not come off as a negative (and may even be a positive).</p>
<p>P.S. My lovely HS has 2600 students… 600 in my class, the joys. :)</p>