@thinkingfastslow -This is a very minor error and, no matter how you handle it, it won’t have any negative impact on your Princeton outcome. But it’s fine to send an email to your Princeton regional rep to explain why they will see “Out of district” on your transcript. You can name the school and the specific class you took, if it’s not clear from the transcript. Since you’re writing anyway, it would be appropriate to explain very briefly WHY you took this summer class. For instance, did it help you to accelerate and jump to a higher math class in the fall?
Hello! I just realized that I incorrectly put entered weighted GPA scale on my Common App to Stanford. I assumed the scale was out of 5.0 instead of 4.0 because the GPA was above 4.0. Is this worth emailing about? They also should have my official transcripts.
Listed 6hrs/week 30wks/yr when it should be 6hrs/week 22wks/yr
ED to Stanford. Should I email them to change?
@ColeSohn -Nah, let this one go. Stanford admission folks see that same mistake repeatedly and they aren’t going to be bothered by it … and they’ll figure out what you did because they’ve seen it so often before and are more concerned with the transcript than with the self-report. So don’t worry.
@crazychicken41 -No, do not email Stanford to make this change. If, however, in the month ahead, you find some other more compelling reason to email Stanford (or you have a Stanford interview) then you CAN make the correction. But you will just be annoying if you send a special email only for this.
But do make sure that you change the error on your Common App so that, if you apply elsewhere, you will not make the same mistake.
And if Stanford defers you in the Early round, they will solicit an Update from you in January so you can talk about new achievements. Thus you can also use this Update to correct the minor error on your original application.
Thank you! Regarding the Stanford interview, should I make this something to mention? Or will they ask if I have any updates to my application? Also, what if the correction is from 30 wks/year to 16 wks/year? My volunteer times varied, so 16 would be a more accurate average over the three years (including this year) that I volunteered.
If an unpaid internship is also a leadership position what is the best way to categorize it? Also if a student who is interested in theater/acting goes to a lot of professional shows to see acting and production values does that belong on the common app? I actually think its research for D. I don’t know where else to post this. Thank you in advance this thread is very useful.
@123Mimi -For the unpaid internship, I suggest that your daughter choose “Internship” from the Common App’s drop-down menu under the “Activity Type” heading. Then the next option right below that says, “Position/Leadership description and organization name, if applicable.” So she can briefly describe her leadership role there. Under “Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc” she will have a bit more space to elaborate on her leadership duties, if needed.
As for her frequent visits to professional shows, she can include that as an activity, too. The college folks often find it refreshing to read about “Activities” that aren’t the standard-issue school clubs (Model UN, Debate, Key Club, etc.). They like to see what the student does independently and/or outside of school. So, under the “Activity Type” heading she can select “Theater/Drama.” Under " Position/Leadership description and organization name, if applicable," she can write “N/A” or “See Below.” And then under “Please describe this activity, including what you accomplished and any recognition you received, etc,” she can succinctly describe her endeavors. e,g., “Attend professional plays monthly to examine acting technique & production values.” That statement still leaves her with 75 or so characters that will allow her to elaborate a bit more.
@crazychicken41 -Well, 16 weeks is a lot less than 30 and is a more egregious mistake than 22. But, even so, don’t send this change alone to Stanford or you’ll annoy the admission folks. But if you plan to have an interview, you should definitely volunteer to your interviewer that you miscalculated a time commitment on your application and then provide the correction. My best bet is that the interviewer won’t even bother to pass it along to the admission office, but it’s still appropriate to offer the correction. Even though the error in the hours you devoted to this endeavor is different than what you reported here earlier, it ultimately won’t have any impact on your admission outcomes.
I realize that those “How many hours?” questions can be confusing and tough to answer because the Common App provides no opportunity to give a range, and some students will do an activity 0 hours some weeks and 30 hours other weeks. But if the student tries to provide an average, this average doesn’t really tell an accurate story.
Thank you so much! This process is more daunting than I could have foreseen. Its a lot for a 17 year old to manage. And though she is conflicted about getting guidance from me – I still feel I’d like to offer it.
Uh oh! I’ve already contacted admissions 
How badly will this affect my application?
@crazychicken41 -Don’t worry about it. At Stanford there are too many OTHER reasons to worry.
Alright, hoping for the best! Thanks for the help!
Hi! What should I do if I forgot to list some of my elective courses (a cooking class and Health (both 1 trimesters))? And if my self reported GPA is about 0.03 points lower than the one of the transcript because one of the grades just got fixed?
@orange596 -The colleges use your transcript and not your self-report unless you’re applying to a college that does’t request a formal transcript until you’re accepted. But for the typical college, don’t send this correction. Those classes are not consequential to your admission outcomes. But do send the correction to any college that won’t get an official transcript from your high school until after you’ve committed. As for the GPA, definitely leave it alone.
@123Mimi -You’re welcome. And, yes, this process is daunting indeed … for ANYONE. It’s admirable that your daughter wants to do it all herself, but there’s nothing unethical about asking a parent or other adult for advice … as well as for a bit of moral (and even secretarial) support!
Hello,
What should I do if I accidently reported in a UC application that I spent 5 hours every 30 week in a year for an extracurricular activity when i meant to press 2 on the number pad for the hours? If i were to contact them how would I do that? Thank you!
@Guest4567 -Send a brief explanatory/apologetic email to your regional rep … that’s the admission staff person who oversees applicants from your high school. This information can usually found on the college’s web site. For instance, here’s the UC Santa Cruz version: https://admissions.ucsc.edu/contact/regional-representatives.html
Would I send the email to all of the regional rep from the UC im applying to?
@Guest4567 -Find the rep for each UC on your list and then write to him or her directly. Keep your note brief but, since you’re writing anyway, you can add a sentence or two highlighting something specific that you like about the school. But if you do that, make sure it’s truly specific and not, “I like that you have a lot of biology classes” or “The campus is pretty.”