<p>My grade trend throughout high school has generally been very consistent, except for a couple of relatively poor semesters (no C's or lower, just more B's than usual) - second semester of sophomore year due to getting hospitalized towards the end of the semester just when exams were coming up, and first semester of junior year due to transferring to a highly competitive prep school (85 students per grade, 20% NMSF's) and being away from immediate family, thus having to adjust on my own. The last thing I want is to come off as a whiner or complainer in my application, but do you think these things are worth mentioning? Should I ask my counselor to explain for me at all? I can honestly say that I haven't slacked off once in high school, but unfortunately my grades aren't where I'd like them to be, and since I know the transcript is the most important component of any application, I'm afraid I'll be put at a disadvantage. Any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>You can mention it in extra info and also have your counselor write what happened, but here’s a better idea. Instead of talking about how moving made you struggle academically, write an essay about how you overcame your anxiety/new environment and developed your own abilities as a result and become more independent, etc.</p>
<p>^ I was thinking of doing that for a while. I’ll actually have attended 3 different high schools in 4 years, lived in 3 different countries throughout my lifetime (so far), and 8 schools from K-12, and I’m definitely considering writing an essay about my experiences adjusting, fitting in, having to leave friends almost as soon as I make them, etc. Would it be possible to tie this in somehow?</p>
<p>Any more opinions?</p>
<p>Well depending on WHEN you moved to America has a pretty good chance at being an excuse. If you moved when you were 9 years old, they don’t care. But if you moved 8th grade year, or freshman year, they will understand you are brand new to the country and school system, and will probably give you the botd that you were getting used to everything here.</p>
<p>^ Well, I moved to the U.S. just this year (junior year) from Singapore, but there’s nothing involving culture shock of any sort. I was simply asking whether explaining the two semesters with the relatively low-ish grades would be worthwhile… (again by low-ish I mean no C’s or below, just more B’s than I’m normally used to)</p>
<p>B’s aren’t considered low grades. D’s and F’s are something you need to explain. If you feel the need to call the admissions office to whine about getting a few B’s, they’ll consider you a nut-case. I know because my mom works at UChicago, where kids calls from all over worried because they got ONE B in high school and are horrified that it’ll ruin their chances of getting in.</p>
<p>^ No, no, this isn’t about complaining about B’s. Unlike SOME other CC’ers (<em>cough, cough</em>), I know my chances aren’t ruined if I have a few of them. I’m just concerned that I have too many – and what’s worse is that those two semesters have noticeably more than the others.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about them, in all honesty. My freshman year, and first half of sophomore year, I was all B’s and one A each semester. From the second semester of soph. year, I had 5 A’s and 1 B. The schools really don’t look down on B’s, especially if the courses they were in are difficult. </p>
<p>If there was something serious affecting your ability to perform 100% in school, tell them.</p>
<p>I average one B a semester. Sometimes, I even have two! But I think those were a little more than evened out by my two straight A semesters until I started getting C’s in physics this year.</p>
<p>Anyway, a lot of B’s worked out quite well for me, even when I applied to a school that strongly emphasizes the two subjects in which I had all of those B’s.</p>
<p>I think that at the very least, hospitalization is a very legitimate reason. Even conservatively, I also think that adjusting without one’s family around is legitimate as well. If you feel uncomfortable explaining yourself, you can ask your counselor to include it, or you could try to phrase these situations as that through which you struggled.</p>
<p>Hospitalization is a valid reason. If you physically can’t be in class, there isn’t much you can do besides studying given material from the teacher, or if the teacher actually visits you after school to try and tutor you (situation with a friend of mine who had back surgery). </p>
<p>I got into CAS at a few schools for pre-med, when my Bio & Chem grades were B’s. My physics were A’s. But I took a bunch of science/medical related electives that I scored A’s in, which really showed schools I was ready for the CAS schools, and Sargent College for BU :). </p>
<p>If I were you, I’d do it personally. As easy as it seems to have your counselor call the admin office and talk to them about it, the fact that you personally calls show you are dedicated to your schoolwork and record.</p>