Hello everyone,
As an international student, I am having a bit of a crisis here regarding my mid-year and final reports. So if any of you are experienced in these matters, your help would be much appreciated. Anyway here’s what happened: Our school used to grade papers from a 5-point scale until this year. So when I submitted my early action application I sent a 5-point transcript (which did not include the senior year of-course). However due to a change in the grading policy, all of my senior exam papers are graded out of a 100-point scale. Now I have to send the mid year and final year report but they’re not gonna match with my former transcript in terms of the grading scale. What should I do? Our school closes tomorrow, so I have to handle it as soon as possible!!! Any advice would be appreciated!! thanks guys!
I wish I could help, I don’t know those grading scales. At school, we have a ten point scale like 90-100 A. I am sorry about your problem 
Your counselor should be able to clarify for you. If not, email each college
would that be enough if my counselor submits an explanation paper??
You don’t have to do anything. Your counselor explains it on the GC Report. Yours is not the first school that has changed grading scales along the way, and colleges know that.
okay sorry and thanks
Make sure your counselor explains BOTH grading scales and what percentage students get each level.
(ie., 10% get 4.5+, 20% get 4… then, the same for 100. This way, colleges can easily see parrallels.)
@MYOS1634 does every GC do this? Not the scale but the percentages. I asked at my kids school (small private where there are differences each year based on caliber of students) because I have a friend whose kids go to a different private said her school tells the colleges, in 10th Grade English with Smith 4 As were given and 10Bs, in 10th Grade English with Jones 1 A, 6Bs and 12B-s were given out. (So obviously since the kids are on the same level Jones is a harder teacher, although they do not say that).
My kids’ school said they just send the grades with a scale (A is a 4.0 and means you scored a 95-100 or whatever) without saying how many people got As in any particular class or how many had an A average overall. I think this can hurt kids since there are not a lot applying to any particular school so the colleges may not realize. The response I always get is the schools know us (it is not a school like Horace Mann that is famous) and understand our grading. Since Reps change I have always doubted it.
For the OP, ask the GC for a copy of what he is sending (assuming it is not considered part of your recommendation). It is up to the GC to send but assuming your grades are consistent with prior years, if you feel the GC is not at the top of his game, I personally see nothing wrong with sending schools a letter of continued interest that highlights your grades. As in I wanted to let you know my year is continuing in a manner consistent with prior years, I was recently made captain of the snowshoeing team and my grades are continuing as ever. As I am sure you were advised by Mr. B my GC, my school recently changed from _____ to __________ but I am happy to report the 95 I received is on the same level as my prior work of ________ under the old scale.
(obviously that would need to be refined but something along those lines.)
No, unfortunately, not schools do this. But if a guidance office does it, it levels the playing field for the students and it is appreciated.
Or at the very least, providing a description of the class of 2016 with the percentage of students with GPAs in the … to … range, the percentage of students with test scores in the … to … range, anything that provides context, helps Admissions. (This is in addition to the mandatory percentages of students on free/reduced lunch and going to 4-year/2-year colleges.)
Your private school should do it - even if the school has personal connections, the multitude of colleges students can apply to pretty much guarantee the school isn’t known everywhere and therefore the students would be helped by that indication.
Thank you. I think they used to do the number of people with GPAs of 3.8-4, 3.6-3.79 and so forth but they stopped. Part of the problem was they may have based it on the prior graduating class (not sure since it was before D went) and in a small school that can skew it. For example, this year is not a praticularly “bright” grade, last year was an exceptionally bright grade. So if you look at the number who had high averages, there were way more in last year’s class than this years. So the number 2 person (they do not rank but the bright kids are known) may have a 3.82. In last year’s class he would have been number 10 (or maybe not because he was not surrounded by peers who challenged him and encouraged him to work harder, who knows).
The truth is most people apply to the same 20 top 30 schools, a state, and then some expensive privates for the kids who are not taking AP classes anyway. The admissions are not what they once were and I have long tried to figure out the reason. It is not the kids since last year had some really bright kids.