I was just looking at my transcript and it says I’ve missed 41 days throughout my entire high school career including doctors appointments, partial absences, etc. I get sick really easily and almost every fall and spring I end up missing quite a few days when the season changes. I was just wondering if attendance plays a factor in admissions, as I am applying to selective schools, like Hamilton and Northeastern. Please help, I’m very worried
No
Yes, they do look at attendance and may inquire with your school as to the reason for a large number of absences
I don’t think admissions will care about the missed days. However, if you get sick so easily, you might not want to live in a dorm. Missing HS classes is very different from missing college classes.
If your academics, ECs, LoRs are solid, not to worry. But you might speak with the GC. Try to ensure she doesn’t plan to mention it (which is pretty rare and usually only kids who missed a lot of time for one illness.)
Your attendance in HS is irrelevant to colleges. Your performance is what matters.
@wisteria100 What your asserting is NOTHING I’ve ever heard of. Where do you get that point? Many transcripts don’t include attendance. How can you say it’s evaluated? If you’re only guessing, please state so b/c you’d be sending the OP worrying for nothing
School counselor mentioned it to entire class and parents. Said absences are on the transcript and she did have a college call to inquire about a particular student’s high absence level.
Just because @T26E4 , never heard that, doesn’t mean it’s not true
Wisteria, adcoms might be interested in a kid who missed months, but this is not an ordinary applicant concern, assuming the kid kept up with the work and is right for that college. Your GC may have said it, we don’t know why, but the rest of us have never seen it as an adcom concern. As T26 said, many (if not most) transcripts don’t include attendance. That depends on the school district. Hamilton, Northeastern, and OP’s other schools will be most concerned with more significant aspects of OP’s record and app/supp.
And just because my GC, Sr. Mary Regina, told me that it will go on my permanent record, doesn’t make it true either. 
To the OP, not all HS’s include attendance on the transcript. I would not worry about it.
The poster said the 41 absences are on her transcript.
And I don’t need Sr Mary Regina to tell me, I can see it on the transcript for myself! Maybe it is a rare occurrence but she did get a call about a kids absences from a college
That’s over 3.25 years (maybe more, if her district includes 8th.)
Your transcript is your transcript from your school system. Not all hs record this on the transcript. And if some do, adcoms have bigger fish to fry. Your GC said she got some one call about heaven knows what, from who knows what college, to check who knows what discrepancy or uncertainty. We don’t know that kid’s details. Some of us know this from the colleges’ perspective. Plus, we have some experience with our own kids.
@wisteria100 Please accept my apology – I was needlessly confrontational and it was uncalled for. I wish I could have said this instead: “I’ve never heard of such an issue and it runs counter to the fact that some school transcripts have no attendance info. what was the circumstance that you saw differently?”
The call was to inquire about 10 or so absences in 1 yr
@T26E4 Apology accepted.
I was just reporting what counselor tells students at my school (highly regarded private)