Additional Information Space on Application

Applying to College
1

<p>Most applications have a space to provide additional detail about your background or academic critieria which the Admissions Committee may find helpful during the review of your application. I would like to explain why I only had two AP courses...but does this sound too whiney? Any suggestions to make it sound stronger?</p>

<pre><code> I had numerous conflicts with the scheduling of AP classes during my first three years of high school. I would like to explain the circumstances.

At the end of my 5th grade year, the Superintendent of Curriculum called my mom and asked that I be allowed to attend the high school for continuing mathematics in my 6th grade year. Subsequently, I was bussed to the high school for Algebra I in 6th grade, Geometry in 7th grade, and Algebra II in 8th grade. This had never been done before in my district and nobody considered the curriculum/scheduling problems this would cause once I actually entered high school.

I took Pre-Calculus in 9th grade, a class usually reserved for juniors or seniors. This class was only offered twice a day, conflicting with the only section of AP Biology, which I had previously forecasted into my schedule. In 10th grade, I took senior-level AP Calculus AB. It conflicted with sophomore-level AP World History. For 11th grade, I was registered for AP Calculus BC, AP Physics and AP US History. A week before school started, I was notified that AP Calculus BC and AP Physics classes were cancelled.

Frustrated, and not wanting to stop my math studies, I entered a dual-enrollment program. I continued my study of Calculus and Spanish at XXXXX while taking AP English and US History (schedule conflict again with the AP version) at the high school. This year, I decided to take all of my classes at XXXXX. I am hopeful that the abundance of college-level classes will make up for the lack of AP classes.

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<p>Additional Note:
As noted in the XXXX High School profile, my school does offer a Mathematics, Science and Technology Magnet Program. However, I was unable to enter the program because my higher level of math was not compatible with the program’s block scheduling and the strict grade-level grade curriculum.</p>

<p>My counselor, XXXXX, can verify the above.
<a href="mailto:XXX@XXX.edu">XXX@XXX.edu</a><a href="XXX">/email</a> XXX-XXXX</p>

<p>Thanks for any advice!</p>

2

<p>I’ll bump this once…</p>

<p>Anybody?</p>

3

<p>It sounds like an auto-biography and is overly wordy. Condense it to ONE paragraph, leaving out much of the information you have contained. </p>

<p>Examples: </p>

<p>“By the end of my 5th grade year…” and “a class usually reserved for juniors and seniors (this is stating the obvious that an adcom person would know already)…”, “Frustrated…” (no need to impart your emotional state of mind) etc., etc., etc.</p>

<p>Adcoms understand about conflict of schedules. You’re not the first applicant with this issue. Be succinct in your comments. Your additional comments should not be as long as your essay!</p>

4

<p>Thank you, jshain!
That is exactly what I needed to hear. I’ll revise…</p>